strong with both girls delivering musical and convincing solos. Jersey: The first weekend of Easter Break, Schola Cantorum travel to Jersey for a weekend residency at the Jersey Academy of Music. Staying on site and rehearsing in the Academy’s excellent musical facilities, Schola enjoyed time to focus on their ensemble as a choir and to prepare for future performances. On the Saturday afternoon they were delighted to spend time workshopping and chatting with local vocal coach, Nicki Kennedy, about the world of singing and choral music. That evening Schola shared a joyful concert with JAM Prep pupils in Town Church, St Helier. The final day gave opportunity to sing a service for Passion Sunday at St Saviour’s Church, followed by an afternoon at the fascinating Jersey War tunnels and some time at the beach, where the sunshine was enjoyed by all. Trinity Events St Paul’s Cathedral Schola Cantorum was thrilled to be invited back to St Paul’s Cathedral to sing evensong at the start of the Trinity Term. Schola travelled to London by train for a day of music and cultural. Repertoire included Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in G by Sumsion, Clucas responses, Psalm 119 and Beati quorum via by Charles Villiers Stanford. It was an immense honour to be offered this musical opportunity and it was a musical highlight of the year of the year hearing them sing so beautifully in this stunning, historic building. Cabaret Along with Wimbledon, Glyndebourne etc., Cabaret is an important and popular annual event in the social calendar of the school’s elite. It’s an evening of wine, wisdom and song with the music performed by vocal and instrumental soloists, the Jazz Band and Schola Cantorum. This year was no exception in terms of the quality of music on offer. The soloists serenaded beautifully, the Jazz Band swung with controlled abandon and Schola Cantorum’s exquisite tuning sparkled. One of many highlights was the world premiere of a performance of Rebecca Horton’s A Level composition entitled ‘About You’. Sung the by composer and accompanied by a jazz combo, the song explored the myriad of emotions experienced when falling in love. By the time the final bars came into view, not a dry eye in the House was to be seen. Nice! ABC Contemporary music is growing from strength to strength here at the college, with a number of exciting events this year showcasing the talent of our budding songwriters and future rock-stars. Our ABC concert (built to rival Glastonbury, in the confines of the Under) stands out as a behemoth of the musical calendar this year, where a plethora of bands, solos and original songs filled an amazing three hours of music-making. All among the dry ice, lighting and staging created by the technical wizardry of Ardingly’s superb technical support team, particular highlights include the newly formed Remove girls’ band (think post-punk, but with more attitude) and stunning original songwriting from Will White, Scarlett Rix and Bettina ‘one-take’ Carter who have been honing their craft in writing, producing and recording in our new, fully-equipped studio. We say goodbye to our long-standing, now legendary, fifth band: we know that their legacy lives on. The lower school unplugged nights, where Mr. Appleby and Scarlett have channelled the spirit of Radio
1’s live lounge, have been a roaring success in giving our rising stars the perfect platform on which to perform. We look forward to more of these next year, as well as the formation of our new Super-cool Jazz Combo Function Band (any suggestions for a catchier name, well received and bookings taken by Smith, Pozzuto and Carpenter management inc.), a new music production EP and the continued excellence of our songwriters and bands. More staff concerts: Book-ending the year with concerts given by the staff, we were feasted to an evening of wind serenades given by visiting music teachers Eira Owen, Linda Atkinson, Ian Glen, Charlotte Munro and departing oboe teacher Angela Tennick. Playing music by Hindemith, Debussy and Shostakovich and to a full house, again, we are very lucky in the music school to have such generous teachers who enjoy playing music together and sharing their skills freely with the community. Finally, the music department is incredibly sad to be saying farewell to the much-loved Mr Tom Green, our Graduate Teacher from the last two years. Tom has contributed significantly to theory tuition, ensemble training, and through his brilliant horn playing in instrumental groups. As a farewell, Tom gave us an outstanding evening of music he is working on for his LRSM Diploma examination in Voice. He leaves big shoes to fill and will be sorely missed but we wish him all the best. Prep Music Overview With over 140 children having instrumental lessons each week, prep school music with Mrs Carpenter has been jam-packed and joyful. Michaelmas bought with it a sparkling Christmas concert to showcase the many ensembles and choirs of Ardingly. The Fiddlers, flute group, saxophone and percussion ensembles filled the Chapel with their merry melodies. Even the snow couldn’t stop us from getting into the spirit and the Prep Brass Band gave two mornings of carols at the Kiss and Drop much to the delight of passers-by! In the Lent term, our brass and wind players also had a marvellous time in their workshop and performances with London-based collective The Brass Funkeys. Our young players learned to improvise and gave a fiery performance alongside the pros. What a blast! With so much musical inspiration, a brand-new
wind band formed in the Lent term. Under the expert baton of Ms Eira Owen, our ensemble grew to thirty children in over just two terms. The Prep Young Musician of the Year competition showcased the top solo performances from pupils in Years 3 – 6. We had two exciting weeks of in class auditions, and a formal concert was then judged by the wonderful Mr Pozzuto. Top places were awarded to the worthy recipients of Alan Hunt, Vanshika Koomar, Eleanor Ireland and Esme Teasdale. Trinity term was a musical spectacular beginning with House Music. Farmhouse and School House combined as one, and the four houses of Bramber, Pevensey, Arundel and Bodiam, battled it out with their favourite Disney tunes. Mr Smith certainly had a hard task as our adjudicator… Well done to Pevensey who took the top prize with their magical version of ‘When I grow up’ from Matilda! We like to march to the beat of our own drum in the prep school, and our Years 3 & 4 pupils loved their workshop on African Drumming workshop with visiting expert Daniel Gilmour. Our informal music concerts have been incredibly popular this year. With two happening each term, and thirty performers in each one. These friendly concerts have showcased our children playing the recorder, euphonium, piano, trombone, singing, drumkit, guitar, cornet, trumpet, clarinet – and more! Watching their confidence grow has been a joy for their teachers and parents alike. We finished the year on a high note with the muchanticipated Summer Concert. The Fiddlers group led by Kathie Adams has now grown to a super group of six violinists from Years 3 to 6, they performed three polished pieces. The new wind band blew everyone away with new pieces after already giving an outstanding debut performance of ‘The Final Countdown’ at the Speech Day! The Year 6 Choir sang with heart in their final performance together of ‘Try Everything,’ and our Year 3, 4 & 5 Choirs raised the roof with their superb singing. Mrs Carpenter’s flute group gave a sparkling rendition of ‘Ode to Joy’ and surprised us with some grooving body percussion. The concert finished with a moving performance of every child in the school singing ‘Sisi ni Moja, We are One,’ accompanied with the joyous drumming of the percussion ensemble. Our prep school children have music in their hearts and singing in their souls. We can’t wait to see what next year brings! THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT
Debating and Model United Nations This year we attended Lingfield College and Benenden Model United Nations (MUN) events. We were overwhelmed with how well the Ardingly students presented themselves – showing confidence, professionalism and, most importantly, respect. The conferences covered a huge range of topics – everything from food security in refugee camps, to protection of cultural property in times of armed conflict, to ocean acidification. A particular mention goes to Heloise Moreau, who spoke to a complete General Assembly and took questions in front of more than a hundred delegates. Ed Casement also made an appearance in that General Assembly, asking a question to another country. Plus, Stirling Thomas was ‘Highly Commended’ in his committee, for which he represented Germany. Jasmine Phibbs was awarded ‘Commended Delegate’, in her committee, representing Peru. Plus, Bertie Sheldon (our only Fifth delegate) sat in the very tricky ‘Classical Civilisation Committee’, debating as if he were in ancient times agreeing regulations for the original Olympic Games! Bertie had his resolution pass and won ‘Highly Commended Delegate’. We also hosted our own ‘mini’ MUN this year. This event was entirely student led (very ably) by Lea Ross, Sandra SalcinesSaez and Sebastian Ring. They were joined by a group of volunteer chair people and enough willing Ardingly students to create a Sunday MUN in March. It is hoped this excellent event could be repeated next year. In competitive debating, we progressed all the way to Regional Final of the English Speaking Union Schools’ Mace competition – which is a great achievement. To get to this stage, the team had to win through an online round and then a live local final. The team of Jack Powell, Jasmine Phibbs, Ethan Cowdrey, Ed Casement and Tiziano Siniscalhchi worked very well together, and Mr Davies felt they should have progressed to the National Final. They presented themselves as a highly mature, sophisticated and assertive team. Throughout the process of rounds they developed well too, taking increasing responsibility for their team performance and guiding each other with constructive feedback. Early motions included: “This House would use proportional representation in UK national elections” and “This House would have educational policy set by education experts rather than politicians”, then our regional final motion was “This House would only imprison individuals who pose a direct and ongoing risk to society.” We also had another bumper year of Interhouse Debating competition in the Lent term. 114 students in Senior School signed up to take part – 14 Senior teams, 16 Junior teams and 8 Lower School teams. They took part in 33 debates over 10 weeks of competition, in a battle to become this year’s champions! Motions included: “The media no longer pursues the public interest”, “No-one should ever tell a lie” and “All young people up to the age of 18 should continue to have some form of mathematical education”. At the grand finals, on the penultimate day of Lent term, the winning teams were: Lower School – Hamilton, with Lilly Ballard, Lottie Stonehouse and George Schotness; Juniors – Crosse, with Davey Jerrit, Toby Elms and Bertie Sheldon; Seniors – Woodard Boys, with Gherardo Sallier De La Tour, Jack Powell and Ethan Cowdrey. They debated the motion “Technological progress will not solve society’s environmental issues”, which formed part of the Sustainability Week events. It has been a great year for debating, not just because of these events, but also we now have debating on the Enrichment Programme carousel for all students in Year 8, Shell and Remove, plus the weekly Sixth Form Debating group, which is a very popular optional activity. D DAVIES 52 | 53
Chinese New Year Trip Chinese New Year London Trip is an annual event as the Chinese New Year is the most important festival in China; most Chinese will celebrate this festival worldwide. On a sunny, chilly day in February, a group of 18 students led by Mrs Deng and Mrs Johnston went on the Chinese New Year Trip. It was the first school trip I went on by train rather than a coach; we enjoyed it. Our first stop was the British Museum in London; we got a mission to identify the most valuable items in Room 33, the long corridor full of ancient artefacts from China and South Asia, mainly Chinese objects. Using the mere knowledge about Chinese history I learned from primary school back in Beijing, I tried to find the oldest ones I thought were most valuable. Many visitors worldwide were in the room, all amazed by the displayed item in front of them. The drawings are astonishing; I would be grateful to be gifted with 10% of the drawing abilities showcased there. We spent around two hours in the British Museum, then came the most crucial part of the trip—the food! China Town is significantly larger than when I came here four years ago, with more shops, hotels, and restaurants. What is unchanged is the crowdedness and loudness. There are still some decorations left over from the Chinese New Year a week ago. Everywhere was red; I hadn’t seen that many kinds of red for a long time and I started to miss home for a few minutes. We had fish and dumplings, which we must have for the Chinese New Year celebration. We ordered our favourite dishes and shared them with others. All else was forgotten when the dishes arrived on the table. We ate and ate, and people at my table said, ‘I’ve never seen you eat this much in school.’ ‘Seem like you guys are full”, then “I can get some more in - just don’t waste food!’ After lunch, we said bye to the two Old Ardinians who joined us. I would be one of them next year. It was a wonderful experience for me; I had a great time with friends and made a couple of new friends from other year group. This is the beauty of school trips, letting people in different year groups meet, which we don’t have much chance to do during normal school time. Lastly, I want to thank our teachers for organising the trip and taking the responsibility to take us out of the school to the extraordinary city of London. Also, thanks to the school for giving us the opportunity. I hope everyone has the best of luck this year, the Year of Rabbit. HANHAO YANG UVI
LANGUAGES New Language Colleagues Three new colleagues have joined the Languages Department this year: David Whitehead, who has spent many years in media and marketing before deciding to make a major career change to become an MFL teacher after having seen at first hand the many benefits of knowing different languages in the modern world. He arrived at Ardingly in September 2022 and was immediately struck by the positive atmosphere all around the school. He is thoroughly enjoying his time here in these beautiful surroundings, working with motivated students who aim to excel and with dedicated, professional colleagues. James Devlin, who is passionate about languages ever since his first experience of learning Spanish. He knew from day one that teaching is his calling as he loves watching our students develop their skills and passion for languages. He joined Ardingly College in September 2022, and it has been “the best decision he has made”. He has truly enjoyed every minute working in such an incredible environment where the love of learning is at heart of the school culture. Florence Nairac, who studied French and Spanish at UCL and trained as a teacher in 2014–2015. She previously worked at Wycombe Abbey School, and the Perse School Cambridge. She has thoroughly enjoyed her first year here at Ardingly, with its spectacular grounds and brilliant pupils. For this year Academic Competition, students had to create a news broadcast in French about an environmental issue. Sophie Thompson (Shell) was the overall worthy winner as she presented what realistically looked like a television news report on a French television to report on nuclear energy in France! This year we did a combined French & Classics Trip to the South of France. N JOHNSTON LANGUAGES Berlin Trip Before Christmas, some Remove, Fifth and L6th German students went on a trip to Berlin to enjoy the chance to speak the language, to visit the famous Weihnachtsmarkt, and of course to learn and embrace German culture. We left in the morning, expecting to return later that day, however we eventually learned that our time in Germany would be extended. We departed for Gatwick Airport from the college at 06:15 to catch our flight around 09:00. The flight was slightly delayed but nonetheless we touched down in Berlin just a few short hours later. From the airport we had a 40-minute bus ride to the Gendarmenmarkt at Bebelplatz. After getting our entrance tickets, we split into our groups and dived right into the Christmas market. We were surrounded by the captivating scent of traditional German delicacies, the joyful sound of festive chatter, the vibrant variety of food stalls and the magnificent Christmas decorations, the plethora of traditional handcrafted gifts and, of course, the beautiful towering Christmas tree… Some of us tried the traditional Bratwurst, which was served in a scrumptious German bread roll, and others tried Käsespätzle or Schweinenacken (pig neck steak). After that, we went through the historical Brandenburger Tor, which was fascinating as you could clearly see the clear contrast between the East and West side of the wall. From there we walked to the Reichstag, which is the seat of the German Parliament. However, on the way there, we were lucky enough to also try the German pretzel, which was good but also slightly disappointing as it wasn’t warm anymore due to the freezing cold temperatures. Once at the Reichstag, we were able to visit the Dome from where we could see some of the most magnificent views of Berlin whilst having an audio tour explaining the sights and the history of this fascinating city. The original plan for the day was to then visit Checkpoint Charlie via the Holocaust. However, after 54 | 55
stopping at the Holocaust memorial, we had a slight change in plan. As a group, decided to find somewhere to sit and have a warm drink instead. This is because the temperature was getting almost unbearable, with the more unfortunate of us not being able to feel our hands as we didn’t have gloves. After walking around town and getting rejected by numerous cafés and restaurants, the 13 of us finally found this Eiscafé which decided to accommodate us, willingly or not it was hard to tell. Following this, we were also able to visit the Ampelmann (traffic light man) shop, which is an iconic part of Berlin. After returning to the wonderful Christmas market, which was now beautifully lit up, and getting the longawaited Currywurst and alcohol-free Glühwein, as well as buying some delicately handcrafted gifts, things started to get interesting… We were met with the news of how our EasyJet flight that was meant to depart in two and a half hours’ time, was no longer going to fly due to the unexpected snowfall back in England. Eventually, we arrived at the airport. Jealous of the snow that all our friends back in England were enjoying but also filled with the exciting curiosity of not knowing what might happen next, we lay on the airport floor - some exhausted, others ecstatic. A while later, Ms Pettifor and Mrs Forrest confronted us with the news we’d all been waiting for: our trip to Berlin would be extended! We were told that we had to stay the night in Berlin; we went to the nearest hotel, which unfortunately was fully booked for the night, but they did at least tell us that a nearby Holiday Inn still had some rooms left. The next morning, after staying the night at Holiday Inn, we had a lovely breakfast together. It was snowing too outside, which was really picturesque. We went to the airport and found out that in order to get back to Ardingly, we would have to have a connecting flight stopping at Frankfurt. This is where things got even more interesting! Our flight from Berlin to Frankfurt was significantly delayed, which meant that we could potentially miss our connecting flight. After arriving in Frankfurt, we sprinted with all our energy towards gate B33, worried and anxious, panting and sweating. But then a massive passport control queue stopped us. We all thought that we wouldn’t make it in time for take-off, which was in five minutes. But there was time for a final twist. We arrived at passport control disheartened, thinking that we had missed our flight, however, we were soon proven wrong. The flight was delayed by a whole hour. We all let out a sigh of relief and waited for the penultimate stretch of the long return journey. Eventually, we managed to return to the UK and travel to the school by bus. All in all, it was a fantastic trip, where we really got to experience German culture, with an exciting adventure thrown in, too! JIAYI JI FIFTH
LGBTQIA+ Society LGBTQIA+ Society has gone from strength to strength in its third year, continuing its mission of creating a safe a supportive space for LGBTQIA+ students and allies. Meeting twice a week, we have discussed a broad range of interesting topics, including Anne Lister, ACT UP and Queer Joy and many more. We marked LGBTQIA+ History Month in February by first producing a video that was shown in houses to explain the reasons for the month and inform students about some of our favourite LGBTQIA+ historical figures. Departments across the school also nominated new LGBTQIA+ Heroes in their subjects for a relaunch of our ‘LGBTQIA+ Heroes In…’ posters. You can still see these displayed around the school, so do take the time to read them and learn about these amazing people. We then ended the month with a special screening of ‘How to Survive a Plague’: an incredible documentary about how various activists fought for their rights in the AIDS epidemic. Students found the film very moving and thought it a vital account of how communities can pull together to survive and thrive amongst even the most horrible circumstances. The society celebrated Pride month with a plethora of different events this June. The most striking of which being the continued flying of our Progress Pride flag from the top of our chapel: a wonderful show of support that can even be seen from passing trains. Author, actor and screenwriter Joseph Eliot continued our celebrations with a talk to Year 7 and 8 students about his book ‘The Good Hawk’, which they had all read as part of their library lessons. Joseph also spoke passionately about the importance of positive LGBTQIA+ representation in literature and made time for a special Q+A session with the society, allowing us to delve deeper into his career and learn about his exciting plans for the future. Things took an even sweeter turn the following week as Lower Sixth student Alice Stevenson ran our inaugural Pride Bake off competition. Staff and students were given the theme of ‘Rainbow’ and our judges were given the enviable task of sampling all 20+ entrants. Prizes went to Elsa Van Lennep and Cici Hui for ‘Best Taste’ and Genevieve and Lilac King for ‘Best Design’. All funds raised from the event were donated to the All Sorts charity: a Brighton-based charity that supports LGBTQIA+ youth. Our final event of the month was a talk from Professor Tom Welton: former President of the Royal Society of Chemistry and current Professor of Sustainable Chemistry at Imperial College London. Students were engrossed by the story of his inspirational career, from disappointing A Level results to the presidency of the country’s foremost Chemistry organisation. Tom also wove in accessible summaries of the latest advances in Sustainable Chemistry and his predictions for the future, with many students staying to ask more questions our esteemed guest. As study leave began for our Upper Sixth, we sadly had to say goodbye to our members heading off to University, many of whom had been part of our society since its founding in 2020. A huge thank you and good luck must go to Robin McCartney, Fiona Whiteley, Tabi Overfield and Sofia Harrison, who have all been such brilliant advocates for the community during their time at the school. An extra-special thank you goes to Isabella Grundmann: our Student Chair of the past year, who has been especially engaged in the society and worked so hard to celebrate the community in the school. Stay tuned for more exciting plans from the society in the 2023-24 school year! L GREENE 56 | 57
GEOGRAPHY West Wittering Beach Trip The 12th May, 2023 saw all Remove geographers venturing to West Wittering Beach for our fieldwork on coastal environments. The ever-changing dynamic UK coastline, of which West Wittering is a good example, demands many methods of protection, which in the case of West Sussex is complicated by Chichester harbour. Due to the strong erosive waves, the beach is under constant threat of being destroyed meaning most of the settlements have been moved away from the local spit leaving a very thin patch of sand keeping the natural sand dunes full of biodiversity attached to the mainland. In addition to the risk of losing the beach, sand dunes and the vital access to the harbour, there is also a conflict of interest as to whether sea defences should be built or not. Local residents demand protection for their houses whilst wildlife conservationists prefer the terrain untouched for the fragile ecosystem to survive. As a national and international refuge for birds, as well as many species of flora, there is a strong argument for the latter and the building of defences would disrupt the ecosystem. As we traversed the beach, we saw many active projects as well as past endeavours that had failed, including shattered gabion cages and damaged groynes. Even though groynes were the current and most effective method of protection, they were visually polluting, limiting the full beauty of the beach. In addition, we also saw soft engineering projects which are becoming increasingly popular along the UK coast. These including beach replenishment and sand dune protection, both of which are effective and less controversial between stakeholders and so easier to reach agreement on. As we embarked on our fieldwork data collection, examining sediment and vegetation changes across the beach transect, we were able to experience and appreciate the full grace and glory of the natural surroundings. But we were made aware that with the major concern of climate change, beaches and other coastal areas around the world are threatened by the combination of rising sea levels and increased storm erosion. As the water levels increase, seawalls will need to be built at an ever-increasing expense as we will not be able to replenish our beaches fast enough. This is West Wittering’s greatest threat and is further illustration that we need to change our actions, lifestyles and our habits to protect and preserve the beauty and awe-inspiring planet. KEREM TOHMA REMOVE
GEOGRAPHY The Sussex Coast - an UVI geographical exploration of sustainable management On Thursday, 9th March, a select band of UVI Geography students embarked on a grand tour of the East Sussex coast to enhance their knowledge of sustainable coastal management strategies, the reasons for implementation, and how successful they have been. Despite biblically-wet weather on the day - that topic had come and gone in our syllabus – that highlighted the need for resistant coastal defence schemes, we ventured South to Brighton. Our itinerary listed a journey travelling east, considering the regional SMP (Shoreline Management Plan) used in these locations, and expanding our understanding of the sediment cells as we went. Our first stop in Brighton saw an assessment of the high-value land on the coastline, and the equally expensive defences put in place: 20,000 tonnes of beach replenishment complimented the £2.2 million sea wall and rock breakwaters. As a group, the stakeholders and interests were all incorporated to achieve an educated conclusion of suitability, a process repeated at our subsequent study sites. 58 | 59
GEOGRAPHY Coastal Management - Is Sussex doing enough? One of the great things about Geography as Mr Howe, geographer extraordinaire, often says, is that it is something that is happening in real life. It’s not just words on a page or pictures on a screen, you can actually go out and study it in the fresh air (without phones). One sunny morning, after a great GIS presentation from Mr Davies, Year 7 got an amazing opportunity to see geography in action. We set off from Ardingly at just before 10am to visit Cuckmere Haven and Brighton and investigate coastal management. After looking at lots of different features, like the meandering Cuckmere river, the chalk and red sandstone cliffs and the shingle beach, we studied the coastal defences. Despite the lovely, natural scenery, protection was at a minimum since the land was quite low value, which means there is not much there worth protecting. There were a few houses, pastures and a small channel for fishing boats, and that was pretty much it. However, travel down the coast to Brighton, things are very different. After lunch, we saw the enormity of coastal defences on offer. This bustling, touristfilled city is a perfect example of high value land. Groynes, sea walls, beach replenishment you name it, Brighton had them in bucketloads. Lucky for us, this meant we could enjoy our ice cream in peace. But why is Brighton so guarded? It’s because of all those fancy hotels and houses you see along the promenade. Each hotel probably cost thousands and thousands of pounds to build, and the council does not want all that cash to fall into the sea. We had a great view of all the defences from 450ft in the air on the i360. It was a great chance to hang out with friends, look at the view and eat a snack, but I don’t recommend it for people with a fear of heights. We all returned home with a better idea of if Sussex was doing enough to protect the coast having taken geography outdoors, the way that it should always be! Thank you again to Mr Howe, geographer supremo. EVE DAVIES YR7 As we arrived at the Peacehaven coastline, our second stop, we were astonished by the hidden bastion that lined the coastline for miles. As we descended to the promenade, key management techniques were noted, including cliff drainage, breakwaters, and sea walls. Peacehaven however pursued a policy of ‘hold the line,’ which will eventually give way to retreat over the century as climate change costs and increased erosion rates make defending this coast too expensive, contrasting with that of Brighton’s permanent defences. Walking along the beach at Newhaven, our third site, with the fort overlooking our position, we learned of their sediment bypassing policy, protecting the estuary from sedimentation build up, and preventing a spit with a solid breakwater, whilst allowing material to fill the beaches at Seaford and protect the coast here. The weather persisted, but the refuelling pitstops and a nutritious lunch kept morale high. A short stop in Seaford revealed the extremely low-lying land behind the beach, and the leading historical and economic stakeholders in the area. The picturesque seafront famed amongst Victorian tourists was an attraction for a summer’s day, but we’d have to wait a few months for that. The beach recycling and costly schemes in place provided juxtaposition to our final destination, Birling Gap where, after solving a wealth of geography-themed puzzles, we encountered an unprotected and eroding coastline. The site adopted an entirely opposing ideology of the previous locations visited, that of ‘no active intervention,’ where erosion would be allowed to take root and the resulting sediment delivered down the coast to Eastbourne, without any prevention techniques. In the bleak surroundings one felt that all that was left to do was sit and wait for another house to fall off the cliff, which might be sooner than you’d think. Ultimately, the field trip was extremely engaging and fuelled our knowledge of key case studies on the Sussex coast. We concluded that SMPs have to be holistic and promote sustainability amongst the stakeholders and environment for them to be successful. So, to everyone reading, I thoroughly recommend a visit to these thought-provoking sites now, before what’s left of them turns up on a beach 20 miles down the coast. ELIOT ROBINSON UVI
GEOGRAPHY Sicily Trip At the beginning of the Easter holidays, some of my Shell peers and I were fortunate enough to go to Sicily in southern Italy for a Geography trip. We visited several different sites and landforms, including an ancient Greek theatre in Taormina, the island of Lipari in the Aeolian islands and the famous Alcantara gorge. A definite highlight of the trip was climbing Mount Etna, which is a 3,400 metre active volcano. We took a cable car to an altitude of 2,500m and then started climbing. Although we couldn’t climb to the actual cone of the volcano as that would have been too dangerous, our guide took us through several smaller craters, which was an amazing experience. There were a lot of geothermal gases coming out of vents and it was very interesting to walk through them and feel the heat. After having a picnic lunch with a breath-taking view, we descended and took a snowy route back to the cable car. Another highlight was visiting the Alcantara gorge and paddling in the river water. Our guide explained that there had recently been a significant snow melt that had come down from the mountains and flowed through the gorge, so the water was absolutely freezing. I know lots of people had numb feet for the rest of the morning! It was an incredible trip, and everyone had so much fun. We are really grateful to the teachers who organised and staffed it. FLORA WILSON SHELL 60 | 61
Vivienne Alyutin Fifth
Ardingly Celebrates Black History Month with Ubuntu In honour of Black History Month, in October, the ‘Ubuntu’ society formulated an evening celebrating black culture in the Café. This event consisted of live performances of song, poetry, and speeches written by students. This culminating event consisted of music and poetry performances, ranging from appreciations for inspirational black hip hop artists such as Tupac and Dave, all the way to self-written poetry. The warm atmosphere of this event was all down to students and teachers coming together as one to appreciate black culture, and express themselves through the medium of song, or spoken word. “Dedicated to promoting achievements of Black Americans and people of African descent...” The story of Black History Month begins in 1915, half a century after the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States. Historian Carter G. Woodson founded the association for the ‘Study of Negro Life and History’. This was an organisation dedicated to researching black culture and promoting achievements of Black Americans and people of African descent. Black History Month gained official recognition in 1976 by President Gerald Ford who said we should ‘seize the opportunity to honour the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavour throughout our history’. This began a ripple effect amongst the nations and increased a growing awareness of Black identity. This year’s theme for Black History Month was ‘Sharing Journeys’, an exploration of the lives and stories of the people who came to Britain in the 19th and 20th centuries, who built the foundations of today's diverse Black British Community. The Ubuntu evening honoured the theme of ‘sharing journeys’ by amplifying the voices of young students in their journey of navigating our current society and paving the way for a more inclusive and understanding future. This event created a safe space for meaningful conversations. It allowed people to connect through shared experiences, whilst evoking empathy amongst those who do not share those experiences. An especially poignant aspect of the evening was the energetic response of the audience listening to their peers. Moments like this demonstrate the power of connection in enforcing social change. Being a student in such a fast-paced school environment, we often neglect the importance of taking time to listen to one another, but this event provided a space for peers to become one through sharing experiences and lending an empathetic ear. Bringing people together in one room to discuss these issues, battles the issue at its core, through educating people and welcoming an understanding of different experiences. DARCY TAYLOR UVI Cultural Diversity Week This year’s Cultural Diversity Week was certainly one that left an imprint in our minds. We were fortunate enough to have a very large range of activities to enhance our engagement with this important event. Through much planning and organization, student and staff alike were given the opportunity to truly look into themselves and explore their own identity in relation to culture. Students and staff stepped forwards to talk about their backgrounds for the beautiful Multimedia Installation set up by Ms O’Neil Kaan and a team of teachers. If you were lucky enough to visit the crypt, you will have been blown away by just how much variety we actually have at this College. From cultural garments to family trees to videos of students speaking about their heritage, it was clear how much work had gone into encapsulating such a large, ambiguous, and challenging topic such as cultural diversity. The theme of the installation in the crypt was ‘belonging’, which was deeply explored through the means of sound, photography, art, and creative writing. Students and staff from all around the world were invited to offer up their stories. Some were interviewed on camera, some through audio recordings that echoed through the crypt. On cloths hanging from the ceiling, the responses of students to questions about their cultural diversity were printed. The exhibition was held alongside various different events. One unmissable event was the International Village Fête on the North Quad that students were invited to participate in after enjoying their ‘Home Cooking’ inspired lunch. The quad was bustling with stalls and activities of all cultures. Many students joined in Maypole Dancing and playing 62 | 63
the French game ‘Boules’ on the grass. Of course, how could one omit the amazing dancing of the students in the middle of the event, with dancers performing pieces with choreography from various cultures, a fashion show of cultural garments and even a Bollywood Flashmob that many (perhaps less talented dance-wise) students joined in on with great enthusiasm. More praise is due to Mrs Willis-Wood for arranging these uplifting and educational performances! This discussion-opening day was ended with an intimate gathering in the crypt, with a wonderful array of performances and readings celebrating culture and identity. The evening started with guest speakers from the organization ‘Refugee Tales’, a group of people who support those detained in detention centres such as in Gatwick Airport. They spoke about the experience of being a visitor to these centres, and how those detained don’t know if or even when they’ll be released, and if they are, if they’ll be able to go home, or will be sent back to their countries of origin. This hard-hitting talk was followed by a series of performances, ranging from a drama performance about Third Culture Kids, to poetry and even short speeches about their own cultural backgrounds. This event has given many students hope that the school’s discussions on topics such as diversity and culture will only increase in frequency, and that we have the platform to speak about our heritage and backgrounds, and how it has shaped us as people. AGATHA VAN LENNEP LVI
DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY DT Exhibition Finally, after four long years without one (let’s blame Covid for this, while we still can), we were able to celebrate the completion and success of exam students’ Non-Exam Assessment (coursework) with a DT Exhibition in the two workshops, held on the afternoon and evening of Thursday 8th June. On display were A Level and GCSE projects, using a wide range of materials, from textiles, polymers, metals, timbers and composites, including some intricate electronic systems and an architectural scale model. All projects had been worked on over the past year, requiring substantial amounts of stamina and perseverance on the part of each student. The final products were displayed alongside a portfolio showing the design process of each project, from extensive research, through designing and development of prototype models through to the finished product. All the projects needed to have a client and the products are therefore solutions to real problems. The exhibition was a great way for younger students to get an idea of what GCSE and A Level DT coursework is like, and to learn to critically analyse the work of others. E TURNER DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY Mini Factory Trip On Thursday 2nd March, The LVI and UVI Design Technology students visited the Mini Factory in Oxford. After a long drive there (certainly helped by a quick pitstop), we arrived at the vast facility, the home of the earliest Mini production which started in 1959. The roots of the old brick buildings had been merged with hyper-modern buildings bearing company logos. Graham, our tour guide, initially took us on a tour of the history of the company, showing the impressive changes the models had since undergone. Our next stop required high visibility vests, goggles and earpieces. The ‘Body in White’ Building demonstrated the process from the beginning: while many of the parts are made elsewhere in the UK, around 1,200 robots aid in the construction, costing between £80,000 and £120,000 each. Here, the group learnt about various joining techniques, the coding of the machinery and the production line movements. We then moved into the Final Assembly building. By this point, the cars had received their paint specific to what the customer ordered (with a range of 17 to choose from). This location featured a clear equilibrium between manual workers and automation. Walking through the stages of production, we understood firsthand the principles of KANBAN and JIT (Just in Time) production systems. Interestingly, the company allowed the production of their electric cars to work alongside the petrol ones, in the same construction line. Graham also elaborated on the worker health and safety features that had revolutionised the industry. After seeing this process unfold before our eyes, it was truly remarkable to see them roll off the end of the production line. Overall, the trip was hugely informative, and had everyone captivated by the sweeping power of industry. Producing over 1000 cars a day, the robots certainly had their work cut out for them - so we’d better make sure we stay in their good books. After all, the success of the trip had everyone saying, ‘We’ll be back.’ (Arnold Schwarzenegger impression.) ELIOT ROBINSON UVI 64 | 65
DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY V&A & Science Museum Trip After the End of Year Exams, Remove and Lower 6th DT students enjoyed a trip to London, to visit the V&A and the Science Museums to get inspiration and prepare for the NEA coursework projects. The V&A has some 12 acres of creative items displayed, with a collection of over 5,000 years of history. After a picnic lunch in the inner courtyard, students faced their final frontier, as they took one small step over Exhibition Road and one giant leap into the almost infinite innovation of the Science Museum. Remove students took particular interest in the “flight” exhibition, which allowed us to get up close with planes suspended from the vaulted ceiling and allowed us to appreciate the many design iterations required for a successful product; an appreciation that will be paramount for the NEA projects. TOM GRABHAM UVI Chapel Annals 2023 In last year’s Annals entry, I reflected on the disruptions of Covid and how that affected Chapel life. This year Covid seems very much like a strange dream and life has continued as normal. That said, this has not been a normal year for us as a nation, with the death of one monarch and the coronation of another, both of which have been marked by college events. In September, Queen Elizabeth II died after 70 years on the throne. This was marked with the whole College gathering on the cricket pitch for a minute’s silence, whilst in May the choir sang Zadok the Priest as part of the chapel service celebrating the coronation of King Charles III. Two contrasting events that marked an ending and a beginning. Each term this year we have expanded on a particular set of themes. Michaelmas Term began by looking at leadership and thankfulness, we then held several very moving services on specific issues, from Remembrance to Black History Month and All Souls. A particular highlight was the chapel on the theme of Mental Health during Hello Yellow Week, with Scarlet Rix providing a moving rendition of her self-composed work. During December thoughts turned to Christmas and we had a series dedicated to the Christmas story. The usual Carol Services were put into disarray by the heavy snowfall on the scheduled Sunday afternoon, but we adapted well and managed to put on two amazing Carol Services in the following days. In Lent the themes focused on Jesus’ style of leadership and an unpacking of what Christianity is all about. Then in Trinity Term we had several visiting speakers, both from within college and outside, speaking about what faith and spirituality meant to them. All the speakers were engaging and thought-provoking, but a highlight would have to be Mr Marin’s exposition of how his faith has developed over the years. I would also like to mention a few students and staff who took the plunge and spoke in chapel, from the Charity prefects speaking about what charities they support and why, to Ollie O’Regan and Rebecca Horton speaking about their personal experiences of mental health and perseverance, and Mr Walmsley on the Problem of Evil. Thank you for doing that. I know it impacted several students powerfully. Blessings, REV ANDY
COMPUTER SCIENCE National Cyber Security Centre - Cyber First Girls Competition 2023 The competition is a team event, with each team made up of four Year 8 girls. This was the first year we have ever entered a team and our they did admirably well, scoring over 300 points. The overarching aim of the competition is to find the next group of cyber professionals to help keep the country safe from cyber-attacks. As well as containing topics covered in the curriculum, it also contains some advanced cyber topics that are not covered in traditional education but seek to stretch the lateral thinking and additional cyber knowledge of the teams. M SHEIL COMPUTER SCIENCE Lockhead Martin International Code Quest Competition 2023 For the first time since the pandemic, the International Code Quest competition was in-person again. Three teams of our elite programmers travelled to the Lockheed Martin offices somewhere in the South of England (its exact location cannot be disclosed without top level authorisation). Teams were set complex challenges to solve, designed by Lockheed Martin engineers and software developers. Thankfully, the essential programming fuel of pizza, chocolate, crisps and soft drinks were bountiful. All three Teams finished in the top 10 in the UK. With two teams picking up a trophy. M SHEIL Partnerships with local schools The Since September, College has seen several partnerships begin to take shape with local schools. Partnerships should be mutually beneficial, instilling a love of learning, of reaching one’s full potential, grasping new opportunities, and working alongside one another to learn together and learn from one another. Jacopo, a 6th form student visited Balcombe Church of England Primary School weekly during Lent term. He writes: “As a student in the International Baccalaureate program, I was tasked with a Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) project that involved teaching Spanish to Year 3 students at a local school. I was both nervous and excited for this opportunity, as I love both Spanish and working with children. When I arrived at the school, I was greeted by a group of eager and polite children. They were eager to learn and were very attentive throughout the lesson. I and a fellow student started by teaching them the numbers from 1 to 10 in Spanish. They picked up the numbers quickly and were soon able to repeat them after me. I was impressed by the children’s enthusiasm and their willingness to learn. They were always polite, even when they made mistakes, and they were always eager to ask questions and participate in the lessons. This made my experience of teaching them a truly enjoyable one. The children’s progress was evident throughout the lesson, and I felt a great sense of pride and accomplishment as I watched them grow in their understanding of Spanish. I was also struck by how much they taught me in return, not only about teaching, but also about patience, kindness, and perseverance.” Mariam, a 6th form student, is one of a group of students who visit Warden Park Academy weekly since November 2022 to converse with the EAL students there and engage in activities together. She writes: “During my time assisting the group of children in their integration process at Warden Park Academy, I gained invaluable insights and learned important lessons 66 | 67
about the resilience and strength of the human spirit. Witnessing the challenges these children faced and the determination with which they embraced their new environment was truly inspiring. As a helper, I played a role in providing them with emotional and educational support, language assistance, and a sense of belonging. By organizing cultural exchange activities and facilitating interactions between the children and their peers, we fostered an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere that encouraged understanding and friendship. Through this experience, I realized the transformative power of empathy and the profound impact that a supportive community can have on the lives of people. It was a privilege to be a part of their journey and to witness their growth, resilience, and integration within the school community.” During Lent term children in KS2 from both Ardingly College and St. Peter’s Primary School had the opportunity to discuss some of the big topics that concern us all. Sam, a Year 6 student, attended the Big Issues Club weekly. He writes: “I really enjoyed attending the Big Issues Club and meeting other Year 5 and 6 pupils from St. Peters Church of England School, Ardingly. Together we discussed lots of important topics today such as global warming and plastic pollution. We had to think about what was most important to us and why. Working in small groups, mixed with pupils from St Peter’s, we read books, watched videos, and discussed topics, mostly involving the climate and pollution. I enjoyed listening to other people’s ideas, and I think it was very helpful for us all to be able to share our thoughts in a small group as this meant everyone had a chance to share and contribute.” Alice, a 6th form student, has been visiting St. Peter’s CofE Primary School weekly since March 2023 to mentor some of the children in Maths. She writes: “During my time spent at St. Peter’s School, I have learnt a lot as a student. As an IB student, we have learnt to be very hard-working students and as I spend my time at the school it has motivated me like nothing else. Every week on Wednesday, a group of students go down to the school and help students with maths. The students are ranging from many different age groups. The students were very polite and motivated in their work. We only get to work with a few students, and they were all very lovely. Even the team at St Peter’s School have been very kind and supportive of our help. The students were such hard workers that they inspired me and many others in the group to work even harder for their dreams similarly to the students in St Peter’s School. I have been specifically helping one girl who had been struggling with equations. The young girl had so much motivation to continue working that every time I came, she spent every second working and asking for help. Her motivation and her passion to succeed motivated me and all other students to try harder. The experience at St. Peter’s School has been such an amazing opportunity to learn from others.” In May, Mrs Morley-Smith (Prep Humanities Lead) worked with the Geography lead at Blackthorns Primary School to plan and deliver a Geography Field Trip for their Year 6 children. She writes, “It was such a pleasure to be able to work with Blackthorns Primary School and lead a Geography Day to help our collective Year 6s meet some of the National Curriculum Outcomes. The Blackthorns’ Children were extremely excited to come to our school and we were excited to meet them too. We mixed the children up and split them in to 3 groups where they completed a field sketch, digital mapping, and a scavenger hunt. Afterwards they had a picnic lunch on the field together before the Blackthorns’ Children were able to visit the Solar Car. It was a great success with all the children learning a lot, meeting new friends, and having fun!” Vala, Year 6, wrote of the day: “It was nice having Blackthorns coming to Ardingly and sharing our school with them. We went into the forest and did a field sketch of the lake. We went on Google Earth on the Surfaces which Blackthorns probably don’t get to do as often.” Esme, Year 6, wrote: “The activities were really fun. We did a treasure hunt, tech-mapping on the Surfaces and an amazing walk through the grounds where we mapped one of the rivers. We had lunch together and everyone talked with the children from Blackthorns.” D NICHOLSON
Volunteering and Charity Volunteering There have been many opportunities over the year for students to engage with volunteering and charity initiatives. During Michaelmas term, students spent time chatting, knitting, and playing games with the older residents of the village at the Bridging Ages Café. During Lent term, this evolved into the Life Stories Project, where students interviewed some of the oldest members of the village, one being 98 years old! Students then wrote a book of their elderly partner’s life that was passed on to family members. One Saturday each half term, a group of boarders made cakes in House and then took them to Priceholme in the village, where they hosted an afternoon of tea, coffee, cakes, and fun. At the other end of the spectrum, students have enjoyed volunteering in Pre-prep After School Club and Prep Clubs as well as Maths mentoring at St Peter’s School with their Year 5/6 children. Other opportunities to give back to the community have been weekly visits to Nursing Homes and placements in Charity Shops, helping at Goddenwick Farm Christmas weekends as elves and leafleting for the Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity, to name but a few. One area we are keen to develop is making greater links between the charities we support and the volunteering opportunities we offer, enabling the students to understand the need for such charities and the impact they can have on people’s lives. Two such charities that students offer their time to are Kangaroos Children’s Disability Charity and Pelican Parcels. This year I’ve been able to volunteer at some of the Kangaroos’ fairs. They have taught me so much and I’m so glad that I was able to be a part of such an impressive organisation. In December I went to the Kangaroos Christmas fate. I worked on a stall and was able to meet some of the families that were there. It was a buzzing atmosphere with a bouncy castle, cakes and, most importantly, the people. The whole team were extremely kind and caring. They helped me find my way around and always had bright smiles on their faces. The families I met were all so 68 | 69
happy and it really showed how much of a difference Kangaroos has made on their lives and how grateful they are. I was also able to volunteer at another event. I was doing nail painting and tattoos! There were also games like bowling and animals to pet. My favourites were the bunny and the guinea pigs. Seeing the joy of the children and families and getting to volunteer was incredible. At all the Kangaroo events I’ve been to it has been an amazing experience and ones that I’ll never forget. LUCY MCNEIL LVI Pelican Parcels In World Ready Week, four Remove students spent the day at Pelican Parcels, a charity which takes pre-loved and new item donations for babies and children up to age 12 and redistributes them to families facing financial hardship. The students helped to sort the donations and witnessed for themselves the very real need that some families face. Charity work This year the Charity Prefects have been encouraging each house to choose their own charity and to become as engaged as possible with it. This is to develop both agency and engagement from among the student body, two things we, as a college, are wanting to help all students develop in the coming years.We have been very pleased at the response, with houses trying to be involved in their chosen charity in as deep a way as possible. Charities chosen include Chailey Heritage School, Gateway Brighton, Pelican Parcels, St. Rose’s School, The David Shepherd Wildlife Charity and the Langalanga school in Kenya. All the houses raised awareness and funds for their chosen charity at the Charity Fair in May. Two other charities are detailed below in the words of the students involved: Imara-Uganda Education Fund The Imara-Uganda Education Fund is a charity that helps and supports children who were abducted and forced to become child soldiers, and thereby missed out on a basic education. Current campaigns include scholarships and the building of a secondary school for the blind. This charity is awarding scholarships to some of the most disadvantaged children, mainly orphans, and bringing new hope and purpose to their lives. The main goal of the ImaraUganda Education Fund is to provide schools and their communities with materials and facilities for an education they were deprived of having. PHILIPPA WIEANDT LVI & LOTTY WHARTON LVI Kangaroos Disabled Children’s Charity In Crosse we enjoy fundraising and aiding a variety of charities, however we feel as if we have a special connection to Kangaroos. This charity focuses on support for children, teenagers and adults with severe learning disabilities including those with mobility issues, epilepsy, autism, challenging behaviour, and complex medical needs. On top of this, Kangaroos have family and sibling programmes to provide support for those with a disabled family member. So far this year Crosse has raised over £600 for the Kangaroos charity and are planning ways to continue our support in the future. Cassian (Crosse House) Over the course of the year the College has raised funds and awareness for over 15 charities, raising over £5,000 in the process. There have been 24-hour Dance-a-thons, 24-hour Row-a-thons, bake sales, sports challenges, a Colour Run, a Charity Fair and woollen bees have been knitted and sold. We are so proud of all the students who have got involved in the volunteering and charity opportunities across college whether that be raising funds, raising awareness, or giving their time to support others. You have been amazing. REV ANDY & D NICHOLSON
SPORT Fencing 2022—2023 It makes me very happy to think how accomplished our team has been in my last year at Ardingly. After eight years of being part of this team I have seen it grow hugely and I am so proud of how much we have achieved. When I was in Shell there were only seven other pupils – all sixth formers - in the team and now we have 20 weekly members just in senior school, with our Prep and Pre-prep fencers also training and taking part in competitions. This year we have had eight matches against other schools with three wins, three draws and two losses, a significant improvement from last year. Recognition must be given to Alfie Bowers (LVI, Rhodes) who has been able to attend every single match and training session with consistent enthusiasm, hard work and dedication (and the ability to keep everybody entertained during warmups); he is a perfect role model for the other members and I wish him the best of luck next year. Now, onto competitions: Firstly, we had the South-east Regional Qualifiers. All of the fencers who attended were very successful and qualified for the British Youth Championships! Lucy Fielding (Y8, Thorne), our youngest attendee, came fifth in the U14 Women’s Epee, Jia Yi Ji (Fifth, Mertens) came eighth in the U18 Men’s Epee, Ella Bath (Fifth, Aberdeen) came third in the U18 Women’s Epee and Georgia Green (Shell, Burgess) came fifth in the U16 Women’s Foil. We have also had the Sussex County Junior Championships. Almost all of our fencers who attended became champions of their categories, and if not, they were in the top three. A specific shoutout goes to Ella Bath, as this was the second year in a row that she came first in the U16 Mixed Epee and to Henry O’Hara (Y4) for the U10 Mixed Epee, also winning for the second year in a row. The other winners were Lucy Fielding, George Lloyd and Georgia Green. Also, in the U10 Mixed Epee we had Harrison Shamji who came second and Emilia Ball in third place. Finally, Kerem Tahoma (Remove, Mertens) came second in the U14 Boys Epee. In terms of other competitions, Georgia Green, with Crawley Sword, participated in the U16 Mixed Foil event and her team came second. We had a Sussex Brighton competition in which Jia Yi Ji and Spencer Talbot (Fifth, Mertens) came sixth and tenth, respectively, in the Male Epee. Unfortunately, Spencer narrowly lost to the 78-year-old, five-time veteran world champion, Brian Causton. Finally, Lucy Fielding came second in the Surrey Youth Girls U14 Epee. In March we also had Public Schools Fencing Championships, Europe’s largest youth fencing competition. We achieved the following results: Koby Miller (Fifth, Mertens), who only started fencing a month before this competition took place, bravely competed and came 111th in the Senior Boys Epee with Kerem Tahoma placing 40th on his first time attending as well and Jia Yi Ji placing third. Oliver Hughes (L6, Rhodes) came seventh in the Senior Boys Epee. Georgia Green came 11th in the Girls Junior Foil and Spencer Talbot came 36th in the Boys Senior Epee. Ella Bath placed 19th in the Girls Junior Epee, Lucy Fielding was seventh in the Girls Mount-Haes Epee and was cheered on by all of her peers in the Lower School watching a live stream of her competition! Finally, our last competition of the year was the British Youth Championships, and our fencers achieved the following results: Oliver Hughes was sixth in the U18 Boys Foil, Amelia Ward (L6, Toynbee) was 10th in the U18 Girls Foil, Georgia Green was 22nd in the U16 Girls Foil, Lucy Fielding was 25th in the U14 Girls 70 | 71
Epee, Jia Yi Ji was 27th in the U18 Boys Epee and Ella Bath was 33rd in the U18 Girls Epee. Spectacular results across the board! Oliver Hughes and Amelia Ward also had some incredible success this year, as follows: Oliver: ranked 108th in the world in cadets U17 and third at the English Youth Championships, was selected to represent Great Britain at international competitions in England, France, Hungary and Slovakia and competed in 12 national competitions this year – congratulations! Amelia: selected for the U20 Great Britain team for world cups in Italy, Croatia and Germany and she represented Britain at Senior Satellite in Turkey and competed in BRCs and Junior and Senior nationals – a fantastic achievement! Thank you firstly to Mr Jerrit, without whom none of the above achievements would be possible. Our team owes him so much gratitude for all of the planning that goes on behind the scenes and we appreciate it so much. It has been a delight to work alongside Mr Jerrit for the last two years and to have been coached by Matt, Mark, Nigel and Mr Hughes. We thank him sincerely for his support and for helping us to enhance our skills. My weekly fencing sessions for the last eight years have been a key part of my Ardingly experience, and I will cherish deeply and never forget the fantastic memories I have created. Thank you to all the wonderful people on this team: not only are you all fabulous fencers but your dedication, enthusiasm, hard work, and good cheer are what makes our team so special and what makes me so proud to be captain. I will miss you all (and your never-ending chaos) ever so much. I hope that your future captain does not have to deal with as many swords snapping in half as I did (I think we got up to six this year… not that you should try and beat that record next year – but it would be impressive if you did!). I wish you all the best of luck for all your future matches and competitions. Thank you for an incredible eight years of fencing. SOFIA HARRISON UVI Archie Mills Fifth
SPORT Netball 2022—2023 I may be biased but what a fantastic netball season we had this year. It all started off with the National Schools Competition in October. With limited time to prepare, we hit the ground running and had some fantastic team performances, so much so that the U14 squad came top and qualified for the next round of the competition. We have never achieved this before, so I was beyond proud of this team of girls. Regional rounds took place in January and, once again, the girls did not disappoint. After a fantastic squad effort, we came third. Sadly, only the top two teams qualify for National finals, but I couldn’t have asked for more from this team. Sport can be tough, we can’t always win, but seeing these girls dig deep, support each other and try their best was fantastic. Of course, the netball term started out with British weather at its best: wind, ice and rain, lots and lots of rain. Just Dance became the netballers’ pre-season training after some rained-off games sessions. However, the weather dried out and we were ready to work hard. The 1st team totally earned my respect for the dedication and effort they gave to the game, all whilst juggling many other talents and commitments. We ended the season with a clean sheet of wins, a top-five place at the first round of the National Schools and third at a Sussex tournament, SISNA. This is the best set of results we have ever had, and it goes to a squad of deserving players. The captain, Erica Mackay, was truly an energiser within the team. She had a positive attitude, played hard and was supportive on and off the court. It has been such a pleasure to see her netball develop from her Prep School days to a stage where she is first team captain, and I am so proud to have been able to name her as such. I hope that she continues to play the sport at university. Over the term, across all age groups and squads, the girls had 59 wins, just 13 losses and five draws, with 2,595 goals scored and only 1,568 goals conceded. An excellent achievement and credit to all of the girls involved in teams. Although, as a sports person I am competitive and I love a win, progress, improvement and enjoyment are still huge measures of success to me. I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing girls having fun playing netball, from A teams to C teams, and I hope that the girls can take away some enjoyable moments from the term. Participation has really grown in netball and there has been a great uptake in the after-school netball clubs. Even the boys can’t stay away from the courts, and we have, again, run a couple of mixed-house competitions and the classic 1st team football boys’ vs 1st team netball girls’. Although the boys arrived feeling confident, in netball dresses (this was not mandatory) with the average height of the team being six feet, this did not faze the girls and with clinical play they took a very convincing win. An afternoon of fun and the potential for a solid boys’ netball team…….who’s in?! House Netball was equally competitive. It is always a joy to see everyone taking part and sharing bibs. This is the camaraderie that houses are all about. A big congratulations to Burgess for winning Junior House Netball, Neal for winning Senior House Netball and, all down to points and goals, to Burgess winning the House Netball overall. A final huge note of thanks goes to the netball coaches and staff, for their time, passion and hard work. Without them we simply would not have a programme. I am grateful for all of their support and for helping me get so many girls out, playing and (hopefully) enjoying being in a team. A special mention must go to Hayley Evans and Maddie Spark. The Netball programme wouldn’t be what it is without their support and organisation. So, a huge thank you to them both for everything they do and have done. S BROWN 72 | 73
SPORT Skiing Ardingly finally managed to head to the slopes again this academic year. We ran 2 trips, to the Alps; one at Christmas for the advanced pupils and an inclusive trip at Easter for all abilities for children in Years 8 and Shell. The advanced skiers went to compete in the Independent Schools Ski Championship (ISSC) in Sestriere, Italy. The Championship offered five days of training and gave the opportunity for friendly competitive skiing for both individual and team awards. The students had the opportunity to compete against a number of their peers, from different schools across the UK. At the end of the week, the event closed with a celebration and a prize-giving ceremony, where the students achieved some 4th place finishes whilst Tommy Marastoni came 3rd in the downhill slalom. N HOWE SPORT Football Football season kicks off in Mid-August on the Upper and although conditions were overcast, spirits were high; the boys were back and ready to go after a summer of hard work and training. A brilliant preseason saw us pick up 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss, with the wins having come against City of London and Fab Academy. We ended the preseason and were straight into the thick of it with Charterhouse away on the first week back at school. Despite an unfortunate defeat, the boys bounced back extremely well and went on to be unbeaten in the next 4 matches, winning 3 and drawing 1. One of these games was a 3-―1 away win against Royal Russell who went on to win the ISFA cup, so this is an excellent result. Another one of the wins was the most memorable for the season for me and for most of the boys. A 3―0 thrashing against rivals Bedes on the Upper in sublime fashion with a performance that many will remember for a while. After this the boys went on a tricky run, with injuries and absences up to Christmas standing in the way of victory. A 2nd minute sending off for Ollie Cash in a league game against Bradfield was the harbinger of doom for that game, which unsurprisingly ended in defeat. However, after Christmas the boys were reenergised and went on a brilliant run in the London cup, beating a weaker Royal Russell side 9―0 and St. John’s Leatherhead 3―0 at home, putting us into the quarter finals. In this period, we also beat a very strong Repton side 1―0 with a smash and grab performance symbolising how good we can be when we are on top form. The cold and snowy conditions away at Dulwich portent the Quarter Final defeat which rounded off our season. The season was one to remember and most definitely one from which we all can learn. Although there were some downs, they were certainly outweighed by the momentous highs experienced throughout the year, and it is important to remember that it is all a part of the process; we will learn, we will practise, and we will come back bolder and better for the 2023-24 season! OLIVER SPINKS LVI
Sports Awards Upper School Most Improved Sportswoman Most Improved Sportsman Athlete of the Year Services to Ardingly Sports Award Ardingly Senior / Junior Team of the Year Sportsman of the Year Sportswoman of the Year The OA Sports Prize The Owen Cup The Director of Sport Prize Lower School Athlete of the Year Contrbution to Sport For the individual who has made considerable improvements in their performances and contributed to their team For the individual who has made considerable improvements in their performances and contributed to their team The athlete who has made the most progress throughout the year in S & C This individual has shown a commitment to personal growth, teamwork and supporting the development of others whilst helping promote the culture and values of Ardingly College on the sports field - For the individual who has made a significant impact in their sport and has also been a stand out performer over the past season For the individual who has made a significant impact in their sport and has also been a stand out performer over the past season Given to the outstanding Sportsman and Woman in the Upper Sixth For Character and Enthusuasm in promoting school sport - Most Outstanding Year 8 Male & Female Sportsperson For Character and Enthusiasm in Promoting School Sport Scarlett Heyburn Will Thurston Alex Hayter Charlie Gale Henry Nott U16 Sussex Girls Winners U13 Boys Cricket Jack Webb Biba Mills Ollie Cash Nicky Lautre Dan Childs Brooke Burton Reuben Gazzina Mia Scott-Hilton Henry Glyn Ela Ramshaw 74 | 75
SPORT Basketball 2022—2023 The 2022-23 year was one to go down in the history books for Ardingly basketball. Its leadership and perhaps most motivated team many have witnessed created many firsts and the expansion of the club into the lower year groups gathers pace. Last year we saw the retirement of Nico Loescher-Montal, Nick Scherer, Seb Torcassi and Age Mace, but with old faces gone, many new ones arrived making varying impacts on the team. Edoardo Gallo who improved his game throughout the season; Tiwani Amokomowo a very hard worker who started the season not in the greatest shape and worked tremendously hard to get into great physical condition; Benz Pham, who found his passion for basketball towards the end of the season but has already shown great awareness of his size and uses it well; Kenny Yuan, who is relentless in any endeavour. This year basketball has had full Flecker hall access and more games, due to the expanded league and knockout tournaments post-Covid, with improved competition from schools many of whom contain academy players. As a result, we placed third in the league after intense competition throughout the season. The Senior team also participated in the national U19 tournament for the first time, beating Whitgift to qualify for the knockout round of 32, in which they coincidentally played Whitgift again, and lost marginally in a very hard fought battle. Some star performers led the way this year; Charles Batten (point guard) - scoring 212 points overall averaging 15 points a game, contributing to the team as a playmaker, shooter, and shot creator; Justus Rethmann (center/ forward) - scoring 209 points in the season averaging 14.7 points a game. Justus played a crucial role in creating space, scoring inside, and hustling; Henri Anne (shooting guard) - averaging 10 points per game this season. Best known for his ability to score 3 pointers relentlessly, Henri will remain the designated shooter next year due to his high percentage shots. Next year we lose Justus Rethmann, Daniel Ceglie Swoboda, Oscar Xue, Roman Upton, and Karson Lagon. They all contributed very much to the team in their own respects, and we will miss the energy they bring to the team and the experience they hold. Next year’s team is made of small stature players, this means they will have to run more, shoot more, pass more, rebound more if they want to defeat larger teams. It promises to be exciting! We also look to do even more by creating further opportunities for practice, giving more people a chance to play, an introduction to a playoffs system, and hopefully larger audiences whilst development in the wider College continues. Ardingly now offers U15 basketball practice and games, and played two games in this age group, one against Michael Hall winning by quite a margin with Sergio Bille as star player scoring 20 points who will be transitioning alongside Iggy Upton who was the star player in the other match against Christ’s Hospital, scoring 13 points. The team’s beloved coach Karl (coach K) is also establishing Year 7 basketball as a Games option and matches are already in the calendar for the U13s. This will help basketball gain traction with the younger years, building a firm U15 squad by the time they are in Shell. Some plans for girls’ matches are also afoot. Watch this space. 2022―2023 Justus Rethmann Captain 2022―2023 Charles Batten Vice Captain Colours― Justus Rethmann & Charlie Batten Half Colours― Daniel Ceglie Swoboda, Henri Anne & Lucas Yeung It is sad to draw an end to such a beautiful season with so many ups and downs and it will be one many will never forget. We look forward to next season with excitement and shall approach it with industriousness. CHARLES BATTEN LVI
SPORT Boys’ Hockey On the boys’ side, the Hockey programme has had a successful season with lots of strong performances with the 1st team reaching the National Cup Quarter Final where they lost their only game of the season. The standout performers were Mr Utting’s 3rd XI who finished the year with a 100% record, winning 5 games out of 5 against strong opposition teams. Personal landmarks were reached by a number of boys who made county and Talent Academy as well as Jack Webb (LVI) who has been named in the leadership group for England U18 Hockey. 1st XI 8 games played 7 wins 1 loss 40 goals score 14 against ... leaving us with a goal difference of +26, it’s fair to say that the boys hockey this year has been very successful. With plenty of boys making their debuts this year, we went into the season still unsure of a starting XI however to those boys who came in this year, not a bad word can be said. Every single one fighting for the badge in every game they played and that truly shows when you look at our results. Huge shout out goes to the 3 Remove boys: Josiah Wood, Barney Hastings and Theo Hall who all earned themselves staring places by the end of the season showing the future for this team is bright. Now onto the season... Game 1 saw us face Tonbridge in the national cup, with only one training session the effort cannot be faulted as we secure a comfortable 8―1 win, 4 of which came from the England prodigy Webby. Game 2 Eastbourne away. As you can imagine, typical Eastbourne weather made it difficult to even hold a stick at moments, however still securing a 6―2 victory with a hat trick from the skipper. Game 3 brought on local rivals Hurst in the third round of the national cup. Looking to get revenge for last year’s fixture, the boys turned up and oh my they did not disappoint – a 6―2 victory for the Pelicans wiped the smirk off the Eagles’ faces, a true highlight of the season. Game 4 against KCS Wimbledon, the only team we drew to last year, a great fight but unsurprisingly we managed a 3―1 win. Game 5 against the not so local rivals of Simon Langton as the team travel to Canterbury for the third time in 3 years. A cracking game with chances for both sides ended up with the Pelicans coming out on top, winning 3―2 and on to the quarter finals. Game 6 is not so pleasant to write about. Trinity came out the blocks with all guns blazing and, despite a huge fight from the boys putting everything on the line, we just came up short losing in the quarter finals, our only loss of the year. Game 7 saw the boys regroup, taking on Seaford and we returned to our winning habits with a 5―1 win. Lastly came a trip to Lingfield. The boys left everything out on the pitch for the final game of the year and for some, their final game for the college ever and finally, after letting Olly Maclay score his first goal of the year, the boys triumphed 6―0, ending the season on a high. With the talent coming through the ranks, there are no doubts that the future for this team is very bright, and trophies are definitely on the horizon. Last, but certainly not least, huge thanks must go to our coaches: Mr Naughalty and Mr Lane. Without them there is no chance we could have achieved what we did this season, and all the boys appreciate their efforts immensely, even during fitness testing. DAN CHILDS UVI 76 | 77
of course we had a season of matches against other schools. We started the school year with pre-season training at the prestigious venue of Bisham Abbey, the training ground of the GB hockey team, in preparation of the season ahead. At the best training centre in the country, with the inspiration of Olympians alongside, we experienced training both on and off the pitch, theory sessions run by the coaches and a match against local club Marlow. Of course, there was also the annual Go Karting competition to encourage team bonding – although Mr Stepney displayed signs of being a sore loser! This year’s training under Mr Naughalty and Mr Lane has been more thorough and all round with both personalised training programmes and team strategy along with intensive fitness. The team’s performance has improved as a result of these challenging training sessions, and this was demonstrated in the long-awaited rematch against Hurst. This was one of the biggest and most memorable highlights of the calendar as we won 4―0 in front of supportive home crowd – a truly welldeserved win. A favourite quote of our Head of Sport, Mr Millard, is “leaving the shirt in a better place” and this team has certainly achieved that. The team for next season and seasons to come is looking incredibly strong with young talent coming up through the years. EMILY THOMAS UVI SPORT Girls’ Hockey In the girls’ side of the Hockey programme there have been some fantastic achievements. The 1st XI had their best performing season in several years and reached the National Cup quarter final, losing a tightly contested thriller with Sevenoaks who eventually went on to win the competition. There were also excellent performances from the U15A and U14A teams. On a personal level, Biba Mills was selected to play for England U16s, playing a year above her age. In June, she travelled to Scotland for a series of matches where she was Top Scorer and was awarded player of the tournament. There are a number of players who perform at Talent Academy level and have England Hockey trials this summer, we wish them all the best and look forward to seeing them in an Ardingly shirt again. 1st XI The First XI hockey team have had a strong year – we have played... 15 games 10 wins 3 drew 2 loss The team competed in the National Cup, but unfortunately lost at the quarter final stage 3―1, and SPORT Swimming Six relay teams qualified for the ESSA National Finals with two making the final and one as 1st reserve. We made our debut at the ISA National Finals with 15 Year 7&8 swimmers representing London South. Ardingly swimmers won 10 medals. Benjamin Rouse, Stanley Teuten, Edward Gallagher & Tyler Turton won the ESSA Sussex Primary Schools Medley Relay to qualify for the Regional Finals. Effie Maxted, Evelyn Wills Larsson, Phoebe Betts, Reema Ziyada & Nicole Drencheva made it through to the Finals on their Medley & Freestyle Relays. Year 3 swimmers (and some Year 4s) made their competition debut in Inter-School galas and helped Ardingly remain unbeaten across all age groups in the Prep School. The Senior Swim Squad had their first training camp ever with a 3-day trip to Bath University and some tough sessions in their 50m pool as well as land training. They were able to have a go at the Push Track where the GB Skeleton and Bobsleigh teams train. The Squad also took part in their first open meet with 6 swimmers competing at Wycombe SC’s Long Course meet. At the Sussex County Championships Ardingly swimmers performed exceptionally well. Including being part of their club relays, our pupils won 25 medals with Benjamin Latchford, Effie Maxted & Hollie Widdows becoming Sussex County Champions, all for the first time. The Senior Squad won the Sussex Cup and retained the Sussex League title for 22/23. They were unbeaten in all but one interschool gala when they came 2nd to Harrow in the Tonbridge Trophy. At the Bath Cup, the boys’ team of Ben Chalmers (C) Alex Andrews, Harvey Boardman & Dylan Turton won the Freestyle Relay. The same quartet finished 5th in the 4x50m Medley Relay. The girls’ team of Charlie Gale (C), Rachel Gough, Georgia Gairdner & Iris McClelland made both finals finishing 5th and 8th respectively in the Medley & Freestyle relays. Two Senior Squad swimmers competed at the Winter National Championships in Sheffield with Hollie Widdows making five finals and winning a silver medal and Alexander Davis swimming a personal best time Hollie made her Senior Great Britain International debut in October swimming in the World Cup in Berlin. Alex Andrews and Alexander Davis, who have had made big improvements this year, have qualified for the National Championships this Summer. K PICKERING
Lower School The inaugural year of Lower School has been an incredibly exciting and enjoyable journey. From the very beginning, we were introduced to our respective houses and familiarised ourselves with our house spaces, which quickly became our own. Throughout the year, we created countless memories and enthusiastically participated in various interhouse competitions. Notably, Thorne House emerged victorious in both the Year 7 and 8 spelling bees, as well as the house song competition with their captivating performance of “A Crazy Little Thing Called Love.” Shaw House secured the second position with their rendition of “Great Balls of Fire,” while Hamilton House claimed third place with “Hound Dog,” and Drake House despite huge complaints from Mr Howe came in fourth (last) with “Grease Lightning”. We had several weeks to prepare for the house song competition, and each session was a delightfully fun experience. Another highlight was our first STEEPO event. The anticipation leading up to the race, as we prepared ourselves in our House Colours, was exhilarating. Michael O’Connor from Hamilton House emerged as the winner in the boys’ race (Year 8), while Ayla Millward from Shaw House clinched victory in the girls’ race (Year 8), leading Shaw House to overall success. We had so many other House events. House Dodgeball, where Shaw House showcased their prowess and emerged as the winners, solidifying their position as the leading house in sporting events. In the House Debating finals, Hamilton House triumphed over Thorne House while discussing the role of technology in solving environmental problems. Drake House’s perseverance paid off when they secured victory in the House Futsal competition, ending their losing streak. We also had House Latin, House Count down and lastly, the House Dance competition showcased the exceptional talent of the Lower School students and their give it a go attitude! with Shaw House claiming the well – deserved victory. With such talented musicians in the Lower school, we have had numerous informal concerts, the new ‘unplugged’ café evenings and the Young Musician of the Year Intermediate competition allowed many talented individuals to display their musical skills. Mikayla stood out with her impressive violin playing. The House Dinners were new to us and were delightful occasions, with each house decorating the dining hall in their unique style. We did an excellent job serving the courses, and the catering staff were exceptional in their preparations. Drake and Shaw House Dinners featured entertaining performances by the students, accompanied by engaging English, Geography, and Maths quizzes that brought out everyone’s competitive spirit. Drake House delivered an impressive performance of “Grease Lightning” to redeem themselves after their loss in the house song competition. Thorne and Hamilton House Dinners embraced a tropical theme, treating everyone to a series of entertaining performances, including music, acting, and dance, and providing animal-themed photo sticks as mementos. Our Lower School has witnessed remarkable success in various sporting endeavours, with achievements from our cricket, hockey, swimming, football, and cross-country teams. Our athletes have consistently demonstrated dedication and skill, making us all proud. In addition to our sporting triumphs, we have embarked on some great and memorable trips this year and have loved taking part in the EP program for the first time. This program provided us with unique opportunities to broaden our horizons, develop new skills, and engage in activities that nurtured our personal growth. Overall, this year has been a magnificent journey filled with unforgettable moments, incredible achievements, and tremendous growth. We eagerly look forward to embracing new challenges, making more memories next year. J ROWLEY-TERRY 78 | 79
Sloane Lecture This year, Ardingly students had the opportunity to attend the first ever Sloane Lecture. A group of students met to discuss a speaker who we thought would interest pupils, staff, and parents alike, and inspire some deeper thought into world affairs. After lots of brainstorming and consideration, we arrived at John Simpson, BBC world’s affairs editor, broadcaster, author, and columnist. Fortunately, Jim Sloane, former Chair or Governors at Ardingly and architect of the Sloane Lecture, was able to reach out to him, relaying the exciting news that he would engage in a lecture/Q&A session. Recognised as the BBC’s most senior news broadcaster, John Simpson has spent over 50 years as a correspondent with the BBC, becoming a household name. He has reported from 140 countries, and interviewed 200 world leaders, including Nelson Mandela and Vladimir Putin, and we were all excited to hear a first-hand account of his extraordinary experiences. During the lecture, John Simpson did us the honour of describing his experiences as a reporter. From his descriptions, it was clear to everyone in the room that he had been present during numerous historical events, some of which he narrated. One was his meeting with Vladimir Putin when he was in the early stages of his career as the deputy mayor of St Petersburg, and various other encounters with him later on. He spoke for some length about the dispute between Ukraine and Russia, answering questions from the audience about his standing in relation to it – but, of course, remaining diplomatic. He also recounted his experience reporting with a television team on the demonstrations in Tiananmen Square in 1989, including how he and his crew were forced to relocate to the top of a building to escape the conflict. Many in the audience posed questions on political topics, which John Simpson answered with a deep well of knowledge that only comes with an impressive career such as his. We were so grateful for the opportunity to hear from such an educated and experienced reporter, and we look forward to the challenge of finding someone just as inspiring for the next Sloane Lecture! J HARRIS Alfie Bowers LVI
STUDENT EXPERIENCE - SOLOMIIA HULCHI Solomilia It’s almost a year since the day that changed everything in my life. It was 24th of February 2022. I expected it to be a casual day - I was revising my Geography topic in the morning for school, worrying that I didn’t know it properly. My mum came into my room and gave me a nervous look. I didn’t notice it and just asked her to not disturb me. She said to me “the war has started, Russia attacks our cities with missiles”. At first, I did not have a strong fear, because I did not fully understand what was happening and the consequences of what would happen next. Every day the news was more and more terrible. The streets became empty, everyday life was dark, everyone spent their days reading the news. There was a mass gathering of people at all borders, empty shelves in supermarkets, life seemed to have stopped in the town where I lived. Every time Russian missiles flew into our territory, there was an eerie sound of air alarm making us anxious. My mother worked in the local council, and had to go to work every day, leaving my six-year-old brother and me at home alone. I remember how she packed some warm things, some food, and matches into our backpack and showed us the forest where we could run if the Russian soldiers came to our town. There was a strong fear, which increased every day because the news was more and more terrible. At some point, I caught myself thinking that I just can’t read anymore, and stopped opening photos and videos of our eastern front. It still seemed to me that this was impossible in the XXI century. I couldn’t understand it and I still can’t; it's impossible to get used to it. Life in which people die every day and hundreds of people become victims of this war unleashed by one tyrant cannot be considered normal. I understand that behind all the numbers of dead and injured people there is a separate story of each person: their family, children, their favourite things, dreams, hobbies, profession. Among all these people there are children, young athletes, doctors, and pensioners who died not naturally, but by the war. Someone just took everything from them. I was forced to reconsider life’s values. My friends and I were no longer interested in parties and trips. All we wanted was for someone or something to stop this horror. At some point, we realized that we had to do something to distract ourselves from the constant thoughts and help our army - we started to make military nets, buy clothes and food for our soldiers. We saw that people became very united and we as friends became united even more. Everyone helped each other, volunteered a lot, welcomed other people into their homes, gave away the last food for the military, shared their experiences, this gave me strength and made me believe in victory. I think, in those moments, I also learned to appreciate simple things that I used to take for granted: to be happy for the sun, birds singing, a smile, to be happy that I have food, clothes, to be happy for every day I live. Everything that seemed important to me before did not matter. During the day, my emotions could change dramatically. From euphoria for the achievements of our military at the front and the understanding that we are changing history and the world, breaking Sustainability Week The last week of Lent term was Sustainability Week at Ardingly, with a range of events and activities to promote sustainable practices among our students and staff and to help educate our community further on issues related to sustainability both at the College and beyond. It was fantastic to see so many people getting involved in so many different ways across the week. There were talks and visits to fire our students’ imaginations, with the sixth lecture in our year-long series on the theme of sustainability from Mr Millward on anthropogenic global warming and a panel of five OAs taking questions from over 50 students about their sustainability-related careers, from financial services to regenerative farming to marketing, whilst Shell and Remove heard from a plethora of speakers organised by Dr Spiers, including representatives of EDF Sizewell C, an OA and former Space X employee, and organisers of the London to Paris Electric Vehicle Rally. There were opportunities for our students and staff to put ideas around sustainability into practice, with our maintenance team running our very own Repair Workshop, mending clothes, shoes, pool cues, and even a roulette wheel, and the estates team running educational tours of the College’s biomass boiler. Upper Sixth students organised a popular clothes swap event, whilst dozens of students from across the 80 | 81
stereotypes that a much larger opponent is always stronger, to sadness, fear, uncertainty, and anger. However, as it turned out, missile attacks and bombings were not the worst that the Russian army could do. After the recapture of some of our territories, the terrible things done by the Russian occupiers were revealed, which shocked not only ordinary people, but also professional experts and criminologists. It repeated what I had seen before in terrible films about World War II and concentration camps. How fascists mocked and tortured innocent people. Bucha is the first, but not the last, city where mass burials of women, men and children tortured to death were discovered, with their hands and feet tied and shot. At the same time, the Russian authorities hypocritically denied everything and continued to mock peaceful people. It was the last but decisive straw that completely changed my consciousness. I realized that absolutely everything is possible in life and I stopped being surprised by anything. People no longer seemed to me to be as kind and good as before. I could not understand why they could be so cruel and hypocritical. I started to get terribly nervous, with emotional swings from the news and with anticipation of a possible bombardment I was terribly exhausted. My mother, who was categorically against evacuation from the first days of the war and considered it tantamount to treason, after hearing and seeing what happened, said that her children would never be safe or happy in Ukraine with such a neighbour. After that, we made the difficult decision to move somewhere else. We had no idea how and where to look for a new place to live, but we understood that it should be a country where we could have basic communication. Since I spoke English, and there was no time to think, we decided to move to England. We have been here for nine months already. Strangers became very close, and our relatives are waiting for us at home. Our house is intact and we will be able to return there someday, however thousands of Ukrainian families will not be able to do that. We did not prepare for such events. Our arrival in England was not planned. At first, I desperately wanted to go home, it seemed to me that I could achieve some kind of success only at home - in Ukraine. But my father said that we need not only to survive, but also to continue to live our lives as normal people. During my stay in Britain, many people that I knew died in the war. A boy with whom I spent my childhood died recently. He was the only child in the family, always cheerful and happy. Since the first day of the war, he went to war as a volunteer, where he received lifethreatening injuries. I was pleasantly surprised that our hosts, the Segal family, welcomed us as very close relatives, they let us into their home, into their hearts, and will forever remain in ours. Paul and Julie surrounded us with care and attention and made us feel completely safe. England has fully extended its arms to us, providing many opportunities for self-development and self-realization. Every Ukrainian appreciates everything that United Kingdom does for us every day and we will never forget. SOLOMIIA HULCHI FIFTH whole College, Prep School and Senior School, were out at lunchtimes planting another 400 trees as part of our rewilding project. Some Ardingly favourites were also given a sustainability twist, with the Business Department’s fantastic Take a Risk event challenging Lower Sixth students to come up with sustainable products and the hugely popular House Debating competition culminating in discussions over the role of technology in tackling environmental problems. Meanwhile, boarding Houses were challenged to see who could reduce their energy consumption the most, whilst Art Scholars entered a competition to come up with a new design for our electric catering van – congratulations to Anna Calkins for her winning design! Even in class, teachers sought opportunities to discuss issues related to sustainability within their lessons, whilst some of the Shell science groups were test-driving the Solar Car team’s online course, learning all about the technology that underpins our ‘Basking Beastie’ and other solar cars. Sustainability Week undoubtedly would not have been such a success without the engagement, enthusiasm and leadership of our students, across all years. Our hope is that it proved inspiring for our students and will have served as a stimulus to further engagement with issues surrounding sustainability in the future, not only at Ardingly but in their wider lives too. J HARRIS Charlotte Back UVI > >>
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Our houses
Aberdenn A nother wonderful and eventful year in Aberdeen House is coming to an end. Naturally, we maintained our high spirits throughout this academic year with the usual successes, challenges and inevitable ups and downs. There really is never a boring moment in Aberdeen House. When the doors of Aberdeen opened in September 2022 and we welcomed new faces joining and old faces returning, we were ready to start a new year fresh and recharged from a restful summer. On the first day, Mrs Lee, Ms Langendoen, Matron, and the Lower Sixth Prefects introduced themselves and the House to the new girls and their parents. Needless to say, everyone felt a mixture of nerves, excitement, and hope at starting another school year in new classes with new teachers, as well as joining Ardingly for the first time. It is practically impossible not to bond and integrate into the Aberdeen community: it’s all about sharing Matron’s infamous hot chocolate and biscuits at breaktime, sharing a room, or just simply seeing each other in the bathroom every morning that brings all the different year groups closer together. In the first half term we also elected our Head and Deputy of House, with Philippa and Lotty filling those roles, respectively. Their job is to help the HoMMs around the house, represent the House around school and naturally be a key contact for the girls.
Sports This year was filled with many sports events both in and outside of school. As well as the many weekly sports matches our girls contributed in, there was a variety of interhouse sports competitions too. The first major competition of the year was Steepo, our annual crosscountry race. While each student competes individually, this event especially highlights Aberdeen’s remarkable house spirit: tutors, HoMMs and the girls get together wearing light blue t-shirts, face paint and warm-up to music, House chants and motivating speeches by Mrs Lee and Philippa, the Head of House. This extensive preparation of course involves photos being taken, dancing, singing and uniting proudly as Aberdeen House. Particularly outstanding Aberdeen performances in this year’s Steepo included Elsa J and Sophie T for the Junior Girls and Elisabeth B for the Seniors. This grand event never fails to display not only Aberdeen’s extraordinary House spirit but also Ardingly’s overall strong sense of community. House Dinner For our annual House Dinner in November 2022, countless family members and the former Aberdeen students in the Upper Sixth came to enjoy an evening of dining, entertainment and celebrating the girls and the House. Over the course of the evening Mrs Lee and Philippa held speeches and there were various performances ranging from musical interludes on the piano to lip syncing and dancing. Sophie T, Minnie P, Bettina C, Olwen H and Veronica charmed the audience on the piano and with angelic singing, while Lotty and Philippa enacted a lip-sync performance of the High School Musical Classic ‘Breaking Free’. The pictures taken that night really display not only our excellent sense of fashion but also just the unity of the girls. House Song Later in the year, the preparations for the interhouse House Song competitions began led by Isabella C-N. This year we competed with the song ‘Surfin’ USA’ by the Beach Boys. Isabella enthusiastically directed the girls to get us ready to perform with such determination, which even resulted in her winning a well-deserved award for ‘Best House Song Leader’. We had to get out of our comfort zone to attempt singing in tune (quite a difficult thing to do!), but also dance to the choreography of rhythmic bopping, shimmying, snapping, and clapping. Since not all of us possess the natural talent of either singing or dancing, the main goal was to give this our all and to try our best. Giving up is never an option if you’re part of Aberdeen. Especially during House Song, we were reminded of this not only by being sprayed with water to focus but also by the collective drive to improve, engage and work as a team. Our ensemble this year was a rendition of the song ‘Smooth Operator’ by Sade, led by Olwen H, which was placed fifth, with Rosabel F playing the saxophone, Bettina C singing, and Olwen also singing and simultaneously playing the piano. Unfortunately, we did not place within the top five in the main competition. We may not have convinced the jury but there is more to this contest than winning: laughing, singing our hearts out as if no one was watching, dancing and getting the steps right brought us so much closer together. Needless to say, we were the winners of peoples’ hearts. House Debating Another more academic highlight of our year was interhouse debating. Despite not having made it past the third round due to an unfortunate loss to Woodard Boys, the commitment and perseverance of the
86 | 87 Aberdeen girls who competed in this was particularly outstanding. The dedication, diligence and hard work paid off by broadening their horizons, learning about new things, collaborating, and representing Aberdeen in the best possible light. Celebrations On the subject of celebrations, we celebrated numerous birthdays in breaktimes with cake and singing and of course Christmas and Easter festivities are an absolute must! As soon as December started, we were more than ready to start our Christmas celebrations. For some girls, Christmas song singing already started right after Halloween, and when it came to decorating the Common Room in preparation for Christmas everyone joined in. We put up the Christmas tree with all its lights, colours and glitter and added fairy lights and tinsel all around the Common Room. This time of the year, instead of having the magical smell of burnt toast in the kitchen there was the occasional scent of baked cookies on the weekend lingering around the House, which really set the tone for the festivities. Surprisingly, there was even snow on the evening of the Christmas Carol Service to really set the tone for the season. ‘Tis the season to be jolly’ was quite an accurate representation of our Christmas in Aberdeen House this academic year. During the Easter period we has our yearly Easter Egg hunt in which Mrs Lee, Ms Langendoen and Matron hid chocolate Easter Eggs for the girls to find. Nothing feels more rewarding after a long day than finding an enormous chocolate egg and enjoying it outside with your friends. Socials Over the course of this school year, we have hosted two Socials for the Boarding houses: an ‘American Prom’- themed social and one to celebrate the King’s coronation. For the prom social Mrs Lee ordered Hershey’s chocolate bars and we organized hot dogs to match the theme. In addition to that, the social was held in the Sports Hall with loud music, formal attire and spectacular decorations. This really became an event for us and the other boarding houses to remember. What was especially remarkable about this event was the amount of effort and energy that was channelled into the preparations and organisation. To kick off the summer term we held our coronation-themed social to celebrate a new chapter in Britain’s history. This summer social had great music for those in the mood to dance and there was plenty of snacks outside in the garden - this of course included Matron’s coronation chicken! Overall, it was a lovely way to simply enjoy each others’ company and take a break from a busy week of lessons. Charity Charity was definitely a big aspect of our school year. Our House charity is the locally based Imara – Uganda Education Fund. This charity helps and supports children in Uganda who have missed out on a basic education due to disabilities or having been forced to become child soldiers. Current campaigns include scholarships and the building of a secondary school for the blind. The main goal of the Imara – Uganda Education Fund is to bring hope and purpose to less privileged children. Therefore, we thought it would be amazing to raise money for a good cause and help provide schools and their communities with materials and facilities for an education they would otherwise be deprived of. To raise this money, we organized a 24-hour dance-a-thon. This involved dancing in the Common Room to ‘Just Dance’ dance choreographies in 30 minutes shifts for a total of 24 hours. Altogether, with the help of parents donating via a Go-Fund Me Page we raised a total of approximately £1700! The initial goal was £1000, so to almost double that was amazing. Additionally, learning about this charity and connecting with it as a House has led us all to reflect on our own good fortune. Getting together to dance and have fun and do all this for a good cause has been such a wonderful experience. Along with the dance-a-thon we also sold Krispy Kreme Donuts outside the Café and raised even more money adding to our donations to the Imara - Uganda Education Fund. Conclusion Ultimately, this academic year has clearly been incredibly eventful, with plenty of competitions, events and celebrations. Once again, we demonstrated our unmatched House spirit, and the determination, compassion, kindness and happiness that make us all part of Aberdeen. We happily wrap up another year as Aberdeen House 2022-23 and we’re excited to enjoy a restful summer break! HOUSE PREFECTS There really is never a boring moment in Aberdeen House.
Burgess T his academic year has been full of successes for Burgess. No longer the newest House at Ardingly, we’ve continued to establish ourselves and make achievements that we hope Burgess girls in the future will look back at and be inspired by. We’re lucky in this House in that we are made up girls that have talent in all aspects. This stretches from friendliness and open-mindedness to academic achievements. When asked to perform in any area of the college (be this drama or sport), there are always different people in Burgess stepping forward to take part. The year began positively, with an influx of Shell students that all found their place in the House. Every single person in the year group has been polite and extremely involved in activities around the house, each bringing new perspectives to the House, such as Marnie who was actively involved in International Women’s Day. In terms of Drama, there is a large proportion of the students in Burgess that engage with school productions as well as taking the subject at GCSE, A Level, or IB. Two students, Agatha and Evelein had roles in the musical ‘9-to-5’, and many Shell students took part in ‘Matilda the Musical’, with Marnie taking the
88 | 89 lead role of Matilda while Edith played Lavender. Many also participated in the dance show Lost in Motion 2023, with students from all year groups performing in dances of all styles and genres. One particularly devoted dancer and Dance Scholar is Erin Walsh. Erin was in many of the performances, even being selected to perform a dance depicting Mrs WillisWood and her husband on their wedding day. Music is also a subject many are involved in, having roles in groups such as Orchestra, Concert Band, Choir and Schola. Students such as Amelie, Evelein, Katilyn and Malaika to name a few, worked particularly hard for the Music Department, taking part in concerts such as the one in St. John’s Smith Square. Elsa, Darcey, and Georgia have also formed a Remove band with some girls from other Houses. Spreading to the House as a whole, we achieved great heights in this year’s House Song and House Ensemble competitions. New Lower Sixth student Anna Hargrave led the House to winning first place with the song ‘Stupid Cupid’. Our House Ensemble came second, with Scarlett Rix on vocals, proving that Burgess is a House that can aim high in every aspect of the school. A few Burgess girls also reached the finals of the Young Musician of the Year competition. Well done to Malaika, Anna, Evelein and Agatha for making everyone in Burges extremely proud. We are also blessed with a great variety of sporting talent. Isobel, Rachel, Georgia, Mia, Annelise, Matilda, Poppy and Charlotte swam in our House team to win House Swimming for the fourth consecutive year, and the Lower Sixth group (Nina, Ella Lazenby, Sophie Thompson, and Anna Hargrave) won Senior House tennis. We were also successful at House Netball, winning overall. Steepo was a huge highlight of the year; the Burgess girls ran their hearts out with some excellent results, and ended up winning the Junior Cup, the Ridd Cup and the Overall Cup. Well done to Jennifer (Shell) for her new course record. Brooke, Biba and Ella have very exciting futures ahead, already this year they have represented England Hockey (Biba) and Great Britain in the Youth Kite-Foiling Championships and the World Wing-Foil Championships (Ella). Brooke has signed a new, two-year contract with BHAFC. The future is very bright for these Burgess girls and several more are developing into sportswomen with huge potential. Burgess also has large investments in charity work, led largely by this year’s Head of House Alice Stevenson. At the charity fair arranged by Rev. Andy, Cici Hui in Remove crocheted and sold bees and an assortment of other animals. Alice also arranged a rainbow-themed bake sale to raise money for under privileged members of the LGBTQIA+ community, to which the Burgess girls put forward their own entries. In February, we had our first Burgess House dinner since 2019, which was an event that allowed for many memories to be made among students and staff alike with precision planning as always from Mrs Weaver. In fact, the year as a whole has been a precious one with many new connections made between students, and though our wonderful head Mrs Hill is leaving us, all of Burgess looks to the future with anticipation, ready to make more memories as part of this House. AGATHA VAN LENNEP LVI When asked to perform in any area of the college (be this drama or sport), there are always different people in Burgess stepping forward to take part. and several more are developing into sportswomen with huge potential. Burgess also has large investments in charity work, led largely by this year’s Head of House Alice Stevenson. At the charity fair arranged by Rev. Andy, Cici Hui in Remove crocheted and sold bees and an assortment of other animals. Alice also arranged a rainbow-themed bake sale to raise money for under privileged members of the LGBTQIA+ community, to which the Burgess girls put forward their own entries. In February, we had our first Burgess House dinner since 2019, which was an event that allowed for many memories to be made among students and staff alike with precision planning as always from Mrs Weaver. In fact, the year as a whole has been a precious one with many new connections made between students, and though our wonderful head Mrs Hill is leaving us, all of Burgess looks to the future with anticipation, ready to make more memories as part of this House. AGATHA VAN LENNEP LVI lead role of Matilda while Edith played Lavender. Many also participated in the dance show Lost in Motion 2023, with students from all year groups performing in dances of all styles and genres. One particularly devoted dancer and Dance Scholar is Erin Walsh. Erin was in many of the performances, even being selected to perform a dance depicting Mrs WillisWood and her husband on their wedding day. Music is also a subject many are involved in, having roles in groups such as Orchestra, Concert Band, Choir and Schola. Students such as Amelie, Evelein, Katilyn and Malaika to name a few, worked particularly hard for the Music Department, taking part in concerts such as the one in St. John’s Smith Square. Elsa, Darcey, and Georgia have also formed a Remove band with some girls from other Houses. Spreading to the House as a whole, we achieved great heights in this year’s House Song and House Ensemble competitions. New Lower Sixth student Anna Hargrave led the House to winning first place with the song ‘Stupid Cupid’. Our House Ensemble came second, with Scarlett Rix on vocals, proving that Burgess is a House that can aim high in every aspect of the school. A few Burgess girls also reached the finals of the Young Musician of the Year When asked to perform in any area of the college (be this drama or sport), there are always different people in Burgess stepping forward to take part.
Crosse T his Crosse is known for its friendly community and thriving sense of competition, and this year has been no different. We won the Junior House debating, in which Davey Jerrit, Toby Elms and Bertie Sheldon had a real ‘battle royale’ against the Rhodes team in the final but demolished the opposition’s arguments with some astute rebuttal and spectacular oratorical showmanship. And with the submission of four teams the event, including boys across all year groups, was a true testament to the engagement Crosse does in everything it is involved with. We also won House swimming, with special mentions to Alex Andrews and Alex Davis who led the way to ensure our superb swimming team of eight students maintained an incredibly high standard for the whole event. What is more, we performed the best House song that Crosse has seen in recent years with a fantastic rendition of Twist and Shout. This was accompanied by a fantastic House ensemble performance from our band who went above and beyond with their performance of Escape (The Piña Colada Song), so a special thank you must go to our House musicians: Oliver Salamon on piano, Isaac Burt on guitar, Dan Tuddenham on drums, Marthinus Louw on bass, and Harrison Wallaert and Alex Balch on vocals. Crosse came first in Junior House badminton with special thanks to Tom Delpy, Jacob De winter, Eddie Delo, Will Wing and Wilf Robinson (sadly this success was not built upon by the Seniors!), which was a fantastic effort in a closely fought competition. We also came second in House Hockey, losing out on victory through a dramatically close defeat to the hands of Rhodes in the pouring rain. Staying outside, the LVI got busy planting trees beyond Kiln Wood carpark to ensure the future of Ardingly is one of clean air and biodiversity. In addition
to doing our part to combat the climate crisis, Crosse has had an incredibly successful year for charity spearheaded by Cass Robinson. We have organised Strava and Golf activity fundraising and bake sales for school charities, and the boys in Crosse have raised well over £1,500 in all, and also collected donations which Seb Ring and Cass Robinson will take out to the school children in Kenya this summer. The LVI thespians rounded off their last term with a chilling and unforgettable performance of Dracula in the Crypt, which many will remember fondly, so thank you to Olly Maclay, Jack Stephens and Charlie Roberts. The boys in Crosse have also been working incredibly hard for their personal accomplishments. In sport, a notable mention goes to Will Thurston, who has been incredibly successful as part of the J16 British Rowing training squad this year. Also, our resident star swimmers, Alex Davies and Alex Andrews, who are regularly competing, gaining podium finishes and breaking personal bests in regional and national British Swimming events. And Josiah Wood, who has played in the first team for major sports despite being in Remove. Isaac Burt and Thomas Broom were in the top ten placings for Seniors in this year’s Steepo. In the arts, Seth Robinson performed an energetic and exciting performance of Harry Baker’s ‘A love song for lonely prime numbers’ in the inaugural House Poetry Slam, in which we can all agree he was robbed of victory. Sticking with rhapsodic renditions, Bertie Sheldon delivered a legendary rap apology in call over, after an underwhelming performance, as he would agree, in the House ping pong tournament. But it is safe to say he made up for his mistakes by creating lyrics that wouldn’t look out of place in Compton. Crosse also had many students make it to the Young Musician of the Year finals, so well done to Harrison Wallaert, Dan Tuddenham, Elliot Davies and Marthinus Louw. Oliver Salamon missed the Shell Lazertag to perform solo in a special school organ recital. In the Senior School’s Academic Sustainability competition, Bertie Sheldon won the History prize and Harrison Wallaert was runner up in the Business category. The drive, engagement and talent of these students is inspiring for the rest of us! 90 | 91 This Crosse is known for its friendly community and thriving sense of competition, and this year has been no different. to doing our part to combat the climate crisis, Crosse has had an incredibly successful year for charity spearheaded by Cass Robinson. We have organised Strava and Golf activity fundraising and bake sales for school charities, and the boys in Crosse have raised well over £1,500 in all, and also collected donations which Seb Ring and Cass Robinson will take out to the school children in Kenya this summer. The LVI thespians rounded off their last term with a chilling and unforgettable performance of Dracula in the Crypt, which many will remember fondly, so thank you to Olly Maclay, Jack Stephens and Charlie Roberts. The boys in Crosse have also been working incredibly hard for their personal accomplishments. In sport, a notable mention goes to Will Thurston, who has been incredibly successful as part of the J16 British Rowing training squad this year. Also, our resident star swimmers, Alex Davies and Alex Andrews, who are regularly competing, 90 | 91 This Crosse is known for its friendly community and thriving sense of competition, and this year has been no different.
As with every year Crosse has been vibrant, busy, and energetic and this has been largely due to the constant House tournaments that have been running throughout the year. A special thanks for organising this must go to Jack Stephens. Unfortunately for the boys in Crosse there was minimal success in these competitions with the House staff sweeping up the trophies. Mr Heavens won House pool against the up-and-coming Eddie Delo, and our new Assistant Housemaster, Mr Verbi, won House ping pong after owning the table against quite a seasoned player, Nathaniel Calkins, in the final. Jack Stephens won the FIFA tournament leading many people to question the legitimacy of the competition, and Shell student Toby Appleton swept the board to win the greatly contested House chess tournament in an intensely spectated final against Thomas Broom. Shell students have thrown themselves into everything this year, hitting the ground running at Water Sports day, and then not stopping since. They bring a buzz to the Common Room around the games tables and clearly have enjoyed getting to experience the friendly and fun house culture Crosse has to offer. They have all engaged well in at least one area of school life this year, which will serve as a steppingstone for future accomplishments as they move up a year in Crosse. The Remove have done an excellent job at helping the Shell with their integration, regularly joining in with activities with them and in many House competitions. There was notable success in the House futsal competition, in which the boys did an excellent job of leading the some of the Shell while also ensuring we won most of our matches. With the strong foundation laid this year, there is no doubt that the Remove boys are ready to take the place of the Fifth and some are already rising to the occasion. The entire Crosse community, especially the Fifth form students, has shown exceptional dedication and hard work, particularly in preparing for their GCSEs. Their commitment to academic success has been beyond impressive, and their efforts are a testament to their determination and perseverance. This has not prevented them from engaging with House life, however, as is evident with the amount of Crosse success that can be attributed to them. The future of Crosse is bright with the whole Fifth year group bursting with the anticipation of getting their turn at leading Crosse House to greater success. We are proud to know that next year’s core prefect team and additional House reps for charity, EDI, mental health, communication and the environment, are more than ready to step up and lead on student voice, wellbeing, inclusion, sustainability as well as social and fundraising events. For the eleven LVI leavers it is a bittersweet experience. We are all so grateful to have had four years in Crosse House and have loved the culture within it, but now we must move onto Woodard Boys. We are so appreciative of all the opportunities Crosse has given us and the friendships we have made, within LVI and across year groups and these will last far longer than just our time in Crosse. It was a special highlight for us to have our first ever House Dinner all together this summer term, after experiencing two covid lockdowns during our time in Crosse. The LVI hope the House will continue striving for success as our motto ‘Tendando superabis’ states. Although we are leaving Crosse, we will always bleed blue. SEBASTIAN RING LVI & JACK STEPHENS LVI the amount of Crosse success that can be attributed to them. The future of Crosse is bright with the whole Fifth year group bursting with the anticipation of getting their turn at leading Crosse House to greater success. We are proud to know that next year’s core prefect team and additional House reps for charity, EDI, mental health, communication and the environment, are more than ready to step up and lead on student voice, wellbeing, inclusion, sustainability as well as social and fundraising events. For the eleven LVI leavers it is a bittersweet experience. We are all so grateful to have had four years enjoyed getting to experience the friendly and fun house culture Crosse has to offer. They have all engaged well in at least one area of school life this year, which will serve as a steppingstone for future accomplishments as they move up a year in Crosse. The Remove have done an excellent job at helping the Shell with their integration, regularly joining in with activities with them and in many House competitions. There was notable success in the House futsal competition, in which the boys did an excellent job of leading the some of the Shell while also ensuring we won most of our matches. With the strong foundation laid this year, there is no doubt that the Remove boys are ready to take the place of the Fifth and some are already rising to the occasion. The entire Crosse community, especially the Fifth form students, has shown exceptional dedication and hard work, particularly in preparing for their GCSEs. Their commitment to academic success has been beyond impressive, and their efforts are a testament to their determination and perseverance. This has not prevented them from engaging with House life, however, as is evident with
064 | 065 Hilton T his year has been a year of growth for Hilton. From Academics, to Music, to Drama and Sport, the house has seen all the boys involved in many different events and striving to grow as people. This year, we reamplified the meaning of ‘Unity is Strength’ in Hilton by having many in-house events at the beginning of the year, which saw the House grow together pretty quickly. At the beginning of the year, there were many integration events on offer for all new students, which saw the Shell doing Water sports down at the reservoir and shortly after that, we took our first of many victories, by winning House Steepo. This year’s success can be highlighted by the many diverse things that we contribute to within the school community. Sport As always, sport has been a huge part of Hilton’s culture this year, as it takes up a large portion of the weekend and overall, the gents are very passionate about it. This year has seen lots of 1st and A team debuts given out to members of the house in a variety of sports, alongside huge improvements and gents rising up the teams in their respective sports. House sports wise, some of the gents gave up their lunchtimes in order to play in
House Futsal, which the seniors won. We came second in house hockey, with a very strong turnout compared to previous years, and as mentioned earlier, our huge overall steepo win for the second year in a row, along with the recent success of the seniors winning sports day. Hopefully next year holds more of the same! Drama This year, the musical ‘9 to 5’ was performed in October. The musical follows a businesswoman, Violet, and her friends as they strive to rid their workplace of their misogynistic boss, and battle through inequality and ultimately end up CEO of the company. Benjamin David-Deleplanque played the role of violet’s son, a teenager who helps his mother battle her way to the top. Joseph Distin and Daniel Jessep had key roles in the Y8 and Y9 play, Matilda, playing Nigel and Tommy respectively. They both had solo performances and sang brilliantly. In other areas of drama, Eoin Rodgers Completed his GCSE drama course which consisted of a Devising component where his group had to completely create a piece, and a scripted component, where he had to perform a pre-written piece. Eoin’s performances in both those components were exemplary, and good luck to Toby Mayall who will be starting these Challenging components next year. Music in terms of musical achievements and events, three gents from the house made the Advanced Final of Young Musician of the Year competition, Adam Dring, Ali Hayter and Kenny Yuan, whereas two gents made it to the Intermediate YMOTY final, Charlie Thomas and Noah Distin, and well done to Charlie who placed fourth overall! This year’s house song and ensemble were run by Ali and Kenny, leading the house to perform ‘Jailhouse Rock’ by Elvis Presley, and the ensemble performing ‘Perfect’ by Ed Sheeran. Despite some doubts about the house song at the beginning from certain staff, the gents showed they were willing to take on any challenge and performed actually quite well. The house sang their hearts out, especially the three singers in the ensemble, Lucas, Eddie, and Adam, who were ‘robbed’ of a top six placement. Moving on to the Hilton band, another successful year for the gents, performing in countless shows in front of countless people. Admirably lead by Charlie Thomas on the drums and Jack Groves lead guitar, the band is also comprised of Felix Leung on the keyboard, Adriano Kneerich on the bass guitar and Noah Distin on vocals. There have also been cameo performances from Christofer BoedeckerRasmussen and Kyle Cameron, who we hope to see stepping up again next year. The gents who have been involved with school music, such as the orchestra, jazz and concert band have put in a ton of unnoticed hard work, and most notably, a huge congratulations for the gents who performed in St. John’s Square in London in front of hundreds. Academics In terms of academics, this year has also been crucial for many of the boys, with the fifth formers completing their GCSEs and the Lower Sixth sitting their A-Level/ IB mocks, which is very decisive on the universities they will be applying to. Overall, there has been a massive improvement throughout the year in both effort and attainment grades, with many teachers being extremely impressed. The gents have been consistently working hard towards their academics, being in their rooms on time during prep time and completing their work to the highest quality and getting the most out of their study periods. This year has been a great success in academics, with many gents achieving outstanding mock / predicted grade results, while also receiving high effort grades from teachers. Charity This year, Hilton House has chosen to lend its support to the Hayward Heath Foodbank charity, an organization committed to helping families and individuals in need within our local community. We believe this choice of charity has been an excellent opportunity to engage with and give back to our local community. We’re incredibly proud to share that our annual Rowathon charity event has been a resounding success! This event not only fosters teamwork, physical endurance, and unity among our students but also serves as a critical fundraising endeavour for our chosen charity. The determination and collective effort of our students this year resulted in a remarkable achievement. The Hilton House boys not only reached last year's total of 1002km, but they exceeded it significantly with time to spare. The This year’s success can be highlighted by the many diverse things that we contribute to within the school community. time during prep time and completing their work to the highest quality and getting the most out of their study periods. This year has been a great success in academics, with many gents achieving outstanding mock / predicted grade results, while also receiving high effort grades from teachers. Charity This year, Hilton House has chosen to lend its support to the Hayward Heath Foodbank charity, an organization committed to helping families and individuals in need within our local community. We believe this choice of charity has been an excellent opportunity to engage with and give back to our local community. We’re incredibly proud to share that our annual Rowathon charity event has been a resounding success! This event not only fosters teamwork, physical endurance, and unity among our students but also serves as a critical fundraising endeavour for our chosen charity. The determination and collective effort of our students this year resulted in a remarkable achievement. The Hilton House boys not only reached last year's total of 1002km, but they exceeded it significantly with time to spare. The This year’s success can be highlighted by the many diverse things that we contribute to within the school community.
94 | 95 strategic planning of the rota by our prefects and the enthusiastic participation from all boys played a pivotal role in this achievement. We saw a significant increase in participation this year, with 27 students rowing over 20km, compared to 15 students last year. This growth in involvement contributed significantly to our success. Furthermore, a group of our Hilton House boys went to Haywards Heath one Sunday morning. Equipped with leaflets and an unwavering sense of purpose, they stationed themselves outside Waitrose supermarket, actively engaging with shoppers and locals. Their mission was simple, yet powerful: to encourage donations of food and other essentials for those in our community facing hardship. The community response was overwhelming. Donations poured in, and by the end of the day, the boys had gathered an impressive total of 365kg of food and essentials. This significant contribution was directly passed on to the Hayward Heath foodbank, providing much-needed support to our local community members in need. Paris Cycle In May the boys finally set off on their long-awaited voyage to Paris. After months of planning, training rides, gym sessions and bike tuition, the “fellas” as they liked to be called were ready to start their epic journey. Ahead of us lay around 270km of road so we got up bright and early to leave Ardingly at 7am to head down to Newhaven to catch the 11:15 ferry to Dieppe. This was a quick 24 miles which went all smoothly (except from nearly loosing Kenny) and managed to get our Maccies breakfast just before the ferry to Dieppe. The boys then chilled and did work on the ferry and eventually reaching Dieppe. After navigating our way through Dieppe, on the wrong side of the road (for the UK based boys anyway), we found ourselves on a very flat, nicely tarmacked track for the whole afternoon - the Avenue Verte. This meant that there was no traffic to content with, the biggest obstacle was the bollards that were every few miles which allowed the roads to cross our paths. This did cause a little bit of disruption when breaks were applied suddenly, or wheels clipped curbs as we manoeuvred our way through. After a few hours on the saddle, we eventually made it to Forges-lesEaux, a small, picturesque town. We then finally reached the hotel and got ready for dinner which was a delight to the boys. This was a lovely dinner as it was an all you can eat buffet that the boys enjoyed. Day two was a long 90km day in store heading for Mantes-la-Jolie. All the boys got up with a spring in their step and were ready to hit the road (after eating their French pastries of course). Day two was more of a road ride, but there were very few cars and nowhere near as many pot-holes as the English roads. We travelled alongside a group running a London to Paris relay race, comprising of 5 half marathon runs each day for each member of the five-person team. Today we had the longest and fastest downhill run of the tour, followed by some navigational issues, a flat tyre which was all before lunch. We all then met for lunch just over a bridge near Gisors. The vibes were still high as we had our music on and travelled in smaller groups whilst passing through some picturesque villages on-route. We then stopped and re-convened for a much needed ice cream and coffee break. We then arrived, again on schedule at around 5:30pm. The boys that split off into smaller groups and has some time to go and find their own dinner. We then all re convened back at the hotel and us boys decided to have a quick 30-minute football match to end the evening. We then signed off at 10pm and hit the sack. We then set off again at 9:30am ready for our last stint into Paris. The last section was all on roads with a section of Paris being particularly busy. Before we got to Paris, we split off into two smaller groups to make it quicker and we had a little bit of fun with some Tour de France style stages. Ali winning the sprint, whilst Felix was king of the Mountains. After a much-needed short lunch break we got back in the saddle for the last 50km. There was a fair bit of stop and start traffic lights, but the group stayed together, and the excitement was palpable. The boys then stayed together with high spirits for the last stretch whilst cycling through the forest of Versailles and the suburbs of Pars. Then we made it. We cycled down the river with the Eiffel tower in front of us and made it. 9 months previously a group of us were sat down discussing possible challenged and one of us boys said, ‘wouldn't it be great to cycle to Paris and get a photo with our bikes at the bottom of the Eiffel tower’. A huge congratulations to all the boys as we have done it and a huge thank you to Mr Lane and Mr Dawson for letting this experience be possible. The boys then ended the trip in the right way by getting food and exploring Paris. Felix Banke-Wallis, Ali Hayter, and Moritz Fassin with the help of the Prefects HOUSE PREFECTS that were every few miles which allowed the roads to cross our paths. This did cause a little bit of disruption when breaks were applied suddenly, or wheels clipped curbs as we manoeuvred our way through. After a few hours on the saddle, we eventually made it to Forges-lesEaux, a small, picturesque town. We then finally reached the hotel and got ready for dinner which was a delight to the boys. This was a lovely dinner as it was an all you can eat buffet that the boys enjoyed. Day two was a long 90km day in store heading for Mantes-la-Jolie. All the boys got up with a spring in their step and were ready to hit the road (after eating their French pastries of course). Day two was more of a road ride, but there were very few cars and nowhere near as many pot-holes as the English roads. We travelled alongside a group running a London to Paris relay race, comprising of 5 half marathon runs each day for each member of the five-person team. Today we had the longest and fastest downhill run of the tour, followed by some navigational issues, a flat tyre which was all before lunch. We all then met for lunch just over a bridge near Gisors. The vibes were still high as we had our music on and travelled in smaller groups whilst passing through some picturesque villages on-route. We then stopped and re-convened for a much needed ice cream and coffee break. We then arrived, again on schedule at around 5:30pm. The boys that split off into smaller groups and has some time to go and find their own dinner. We then all re convened back at the hotel and us boys decided
Mertens O nce again it has been a non-stop year in Mertens where the boys have dipped a toe in everything the College has to offer. The year started as it always does, with plenty of new additions to the House in both the LVI and Shell. We instantly began to see the Mertens value of inclusivity making these new students quickly feel welcome and make new friends. Within these first few weeks we quickly began to see the energetic, engaged and promising atmosphere which I think it’s safe to say has been kept up throughout the year. I hope, in this article, to cover some of the highlights of the year that show what our House is all about. At the start of the year Mr King and I decided it was necessary to set down some of our goals and ideas that we wanted to achieve/maintain throughout the year. The key values of Mertens (engagement, respect, and community) have been something that have been
96 | 97 carefully built up throughout the years and are something Mr King and I both agreed was important to keep going. As a result, we began to draft ideas to build on this good work. For diversity, Nathan and I set up a Diversity Group where we discussed bystander training as well as modern stories around diversity. I was very keen to have a lot of events go on throughout the week to create the best sense of community possible as often weekly or flexi boarders miss out on the weekend socials. We quickly began to put this into action within House tournaments and smaller events like hide and seek or quizzes. I was also keen to have lots of charity events as I thought it was a good idea to bring together the community but also to teach the boys important lessons about perspective. In particular, I wanted to really push and promote the 24-hour cycle, one of the highlights of the year. Through this event we successfully maintained the values and spirit of Mertens and, if anything, pushed it further than where it was before. The 24-hour cycle has happened annually for the last couple of years and is an event I know the boys all feel very strongly about. Mr King and I worked hard to find the best way to run it, which included working out the details of setting up the JustGiving page to deciding how many bikes we should have and how we would plot the data. We decided to stick to routine for the format where each person gets around five 20-minute stints over the 24 hours and where they must clock the highest number of kilometres and then write that down for the record. The reason it felt so special this year was down to the sheer drive and level of engagement that could be seen from people all over the House. This led to us being able to smash any records we had set before such as clocking in the most people ever, raising the most money ever and riding the longest distance ever. After seeing all of this it made me feel a real sense of pride which I know was a shared feeling for all the boys who participated. I feel confident that the 24-hour Cycle is an event so embedded in House culture that it will live on for years to come. Another massive event for the boys is Steepo which this year proved its worth once again. Like every year, the boys eagerly anticipated the much-awaited Steepo run. They had dedicated weeks to practice, utilizing a tracking app to monitor their progress. Repeatedly, they tackled the challenging Steepo route, ascending and descending Steepo hill. Finally, on the 13th of October during the Michaelmas term, the 3.7 km-long race commenced, featuring various elevations and the notorious Steepo Hill spanning 500 meters. The U6 returned to Mertens to partake in the race, infused with house spirit and boundless excitement as they marched to the starting point at nine-acre. After an impressive display from both the seniors and juniors, the race concluded. Notably, the juniors emerged victorious, with five of their members finishing among the top six. While the seniors didn’t secure the win, their remarkable effort yielded six top-20 finishers. All in all, this competition showcased the immense spirit of Mertens and stood as one of the most enjoyable and unforgettable experiences of the school year. To keep a group of 60 young boys entertained for 7 days a week is a tough challenge, however due to strong heading from the boarding organisation team we were fortunate enough to head out on numerous trips throughout the year which were all thoroughly enjoyable. In the first term, the House eagerly participated in a boarding trip to Shocktober at Tulley’s farm, where several of the boys even worked as actors. Another memorable boarding trip took Mertens House to Jump-in, enabling everyone to get to know each other better Once again it has been a non-stop year in Mertens where the boys have dipped a toe in everything the College has to offer. carefully built up throughout the years and are something Mr King and I both agreed was important to keep going. As a result, we began to draft ideas to build on this good work. For diversity, Nathan and I set up a Diversity Group where we discussed bystander training as well as modern stories around diversity. I was very keen to have a lot of events go on throughout the week to create the best sense of community possible as often weekly or flexi boarders miss out on the weekend socials. We quickly began to put this into action within House tournaments and smaller events like hide and seek or quizzes. I was also keen to have lots of charity events as I thought it was a good idea to bring together the community but also to teach the boys important lessons about perspective. In particular, I wanted to really push and promote the 24-hour cycle, one of the highlights of the year. Through this event we successfully maintained the values and spirit of Mertens and, if anything, pushed it further than where it was before. The Once again it has been a non-stop year in Mertens where the boys have dipped a toe in everything the College has to offer. partake in the race, infused with house spirit and boundless excitement as they marched to the starting point at nine-acre. After an impressive display from both the seniors and juniors, the race concluded. Notably, the juniors emerged victorious, with five of their members finishing among the top six. While the seniors didn’t secure the win, their remarkable effort yielded six top-20 finishers. All in all, this competition showcased the immense spirit of Mertens and stood as one of the most enjoyable and unforgettable experiences of the school year. To keep a group of 60 young boys entertained for 7 days a week is a tough challenge, however due to strong heading from the boarding organisation team we were fortunate enough to head out on numerous trips throughout the year which were all thoroughly enjoyable. In the first term, the House eagerly participated in a boarding trip to Shocktober at Tulley’s farm, where several of the boys even worked as actors. Another memorable boarding trip took Mertens House to Jump-in, enabling everyone to get to know each other better College has to offer.
while having a great laugh. Furthermore, a group of boys attended a football match between Brighton and Manchester City women’s teams, adding to their collective experiences and allowing access to an event many of the boys would not usually go and see. More recently, the House embarked on a thrilling boarding trip to Thorpe Park, where laughter and adrenaline fuelled the enjoyment of all. Notably some boys signed up and engaged in a practical Life Skills session focused on DIY sessions, where we learnt how to master automotive repairs, how to harness engineering devices, and a few to develop problem-solving skills for various household issues. Additionally, the boys from Mertens actively participated in a wide variety of additional activities, including various sports fixtures and the pursuit of the Duke of Edinburgh Award at different levels (Bronze, Silver, and Gold.) In summary, it feels we can safely say the boys have had no excuses to say they are bored this year due to the large amount being on offer for them. For House Song, we sung ‘Grease Lightning’ from the film ‘Grease’. At first, most of the boys were questioning the choice of song as we were tasked with the difficult genre of 1955-65 rock and roll. So, at first there was uncertainty of its dance moves, fast verses, and the high notes of which some boys struggled to sing. After hours of practising choreography with Eddie and help with hitting the high notes from Mr Pozzuto, the song started to sound a lot better. The more we practised, the more the boys were willing to get engaged and involved with it. The house spirit also increased the closer we got the deadline of House Song as rehearsal increased in frequency and intensity. We slaved away even on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights to try and get it right. Although in the end, we did not get a top 3 mention for House Song or House Ensemble, we did get best male conductor. In this case, the prefects, Deputy and Head of House showed great compassion while partaking in House Song. The goal for this years’ in-house socials were to do activities and events that had never been done and as mentioned earlier, to create the best sense of community possible by getting everyone in House involved, including the flexi/weekly boarders. The prefect team found this difficult at first as understanding and targeting such a large range of interests tends to be rather tricky. Very fortunately, the prefect team had some great ideas, such as, volleyball, pizza and nacho making, detective and mystery games around the whole house, quiz night, movie night and team building night. All of the previously listed in-house socials only happened during the weekends; however, we also made a conscious effort to organise in-house socials during the weekday, including hide and seek, baseball, football, rounders, barbecues, and football golf. The point of these inhouse socials is to increase house spirit and create new bonds between other Mertens pupils, which we feel has worked tremendously. It has been a genuinely special year in Mertens, and I am so proud of where we are as a House. I feel it is a comfortable place where the broad range of diversity so many of us are fortunate to live around can be fully appreciated and embraced. I have no doubt as we hand down our prefect responsibilities onto next year’s prefects, they will do a flawless job in maintaining what we have worked so hard for in house and will push it even further than what we have seen before. EDDIE HYATT LVI & OLLIE BATTEN LVI & JUSTUS BOETTNER LVI Within these first few weeks we quickly began to see the energetic, engaged and promising atmosphere which I think it’s safe to say has been kept up throughout the year. socials only happened during the weekends; however, we also made a conscious effort to organise in-house socials during the weekday, including hide and seek, baseball, football, rounders, barbecues, and football golf. The point of these inhouse socials is to increase house spirit and create new bonds between other Mertens pupils, which we feel has worked tremendously. It has been a genuinely special year in Mertens, and I am so proud of where we are as a House. I feel it is a comfortable place where the broad range of diversity so many of us are fortunate to live around can be fully appreciated and embraced. I have no doubt as we hand down our prefect responsibilities onto next year’s prefects, they will do a flawless job in maintaining what we have worked so hard for in house and will push it even further than what we have seen before. EDDIE HYATT LVI & OLLIE BATTEN LVI & JUSTUS BOETTNER LVI been kept up throughout the year.
Neal A s always, Ardingly certainly provided the students with a busy year, full of exciting new challenges and opportunities. Within Neal, there has been a myriad of both individual achievements and team successes, making us all proud to be involved in such a determined house, as celebrated in Friday Celebration Callover! Whilst there have been challenges and change throughout the year, Neal remained consistent in their constant positive and enthusiastic approach to all areas of school life. We look forward to the final few weeks of term as a house, which we hope will bring as much joy as the rest of the year! In September the Neal girls came back raring to go, and integration events in the garden helped to welcome all the new faces. House Steepo was a significant moment of community within Neal, as everyone’s determination and efforts really impressed us all! The excellent results won us the award for the fastest ten senior girls, and the efforts of Alice Wood, Imogen Williams, Evie Whitehead and Emilia Singer were particularly impressive, as they all placed top 10 in